Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has admitted that allowing former goalkeeper Joe Hart to leave the club remains the biggest regret of his time at the Etihad Stadium.
Speaking in an emotional interview ahead of his final match in charge of City, Guardiola reflected on one of the earliest and most controversial decisions of his reign.
The Spanish coach replaced Hart shortly after arriving at the club in 2016, first sending the England international on loan before eventually allowing him to leave permanently.
“I want to confess something,” Guardiola said. “I have one regret. I didn’t give Joe Hart the chance to stay with me, to prove how good a goalkeeper he is, and I should have.”
Guardiola explained that he believed Hart did not fit the playing style he wanted to introduce at Manchester City. The club signed Claudio Bravo before later bringing in Ederson, who became a key figure in City’s success under Guardiola.
However, the City boss now feels he may have acted too quickly.
“Maybe we could have tried together first,” Guardiola added. “If it didn’t work, then okay, we change. But I didn’t do that. Sometimes in football, managers make decisions and they are not always fair enough,” he stated on SkySports.
Hart was one of Manchester City’s most important players before Guardiola’s arrival. He made 348 appearances for the club and helped City win two Premier League titles during his 12-year spell.
He was also England’s number one goalkeeper for several years.
After leaving City, Hart played for clubs including Torino, West Ham United, Burnley, Tottenham Hotspur and Celtic before retiring from professional football.
The Spaniard, who has won multiple Premier League titles and the UEFA Champions League with Manchester City, admitted that handling human emotions has been one of the hardest parts of management.
“If I failed people in that aspect, I apologise,” Guardiola said. “It was never my intention.”
