Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has said that Gareth Southgate’s decision to leave Joe Hart out of the England 2018 World Cup squad is the correct decision.
The career of Hart has undergone a downward spiral since he was declared surplus to requirements at Manchester City ahead of the 2016/17 season.
After a loan spell with mixed fortunes last season at Torino in Italy, Hart spent this season on loan with West Ham were he under-performed. The 31-year-old started the season as first choice for the Hammers under Slaven Bilic.
However, since David Moyes was appointed as the club’s manager in November, he only made five appearances with Adrian being the preferred option. Hart has been the first-choice goalkeeper for England at every major tournament since Euro 2012 and with over 70 national team caps to his name, he is the most experienced keeper who is currently active for the England national team.
However, there are fears that he will make too many mistakes if called upon as he did with West Ham this season. The number one keeping spot is likely to be a battle between Jack Butland and Jordan Pickford with Nike Pope of Burnley being the third choice.
While the English public have mixed feelings over whether Hart should be called up, Ferdinand believes not selecting him is the correct decision.
“In my eyes it’s the right decision,” Ferdinand said.
“What is Gareth Southgate going to learn about him? Whereas a young kid…
“I went to the World Cup in ’98, didn’t play one minute of football, but it was a great learning curve for me.
“When I went to the next World Cup and played in 2002, I didn’t have anything I needed to learn, I wasn’t apprehensive about things. I’d already seen what the best methods were. Taking a young kid to go there and experience that I think is a much better way to go.”
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