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Outgoing Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has admitted that forcing former England goalkeeper Joe Hart out of the club remains the biggest regret of his glittering spell at the Etihad Stadium.
Guardiola, who will oversee his final game in charge of Manchester City against Aston Villa on Sunday, reflected on one of the most controversial decisions of his managerial reign.
The Spaniard, who won 20 trophies during his decade-long stay at City — including six Premier League titles and the club’s maiden UEFA Champions League triumph — revealed he wishes he had given Hart the opportunity to prove himself under his system.
Shortly after arriving in 2016, Guardiola sent Hart on loan to Torino before bringing in Claudio Bravo and later Ederson as his preferred goalkeepers.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Guardiola admitted the decision still weighs heavily on him.
“I want to confess, I have regrets,” Guardiola said. “One regret I have deep inside for many years is that I didn’t give Joe Hart the chance to stay and prove how good a goalkeeper he was.”
The former FC Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss acknowledged Hart had pleaded for an opportunity to adapt to his style of play, which demands goalkeepers capable of building attacks from the back.
Guardiola said he should have attempted to work with Hart before deciding to move on from the England international.
“I could have said, ‘Okay Joe, let’s try to do it together. If it doesn’t work, we’ll change it,’” he added.
Hart, who later played for clubs including Celtic FC, previously admitted he was angry over the decision to leave City.
Guardiola also admitted that handling players’ emotions has been one of the toughest aspects of management.
“If in that I failed, I do apologise, but it was never my intention to hurt anyone,” he said.
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