Speaking on the All To Play for Podcast, David James has been discussing England’s goalkeeper situation, and in that conversation, he’s spoken openly about Tottenham stopper Joe Hart.
Hart may not be a Premier League regular these days, but let’s not forget that once upon a time, he was the Three Lions’ undisputed number one choice.
James claims that he once thought that Hart had all the ingredients to be England’s greatest goalkeeper.
The ex-Liverpool man says he first spotted Hart’s talent at the 2010 World Cup, claiming that he expected him to start that first game against the USA.
“I actually thought it was going to be Joe Hart, because he’d played really well against Japan and he’d trained really well, and I thought that if it wasn’t going to be me it was going to be Joe,” James said.
The pundit then went on to speak about Dean Henderson, claiming that he’s similar to how Hart was at his age, sharing just how highly he thought of Hart when he was emerging.
“I look at it clearly and think, this lad (Henderson) has all the ingredients. You mentioned Joe Hart, that’s a great analogy, and Joe Hart at that age had all the ingredients to be England’s best, best goalkeeper.”
Unfortunately, James’ prediction about Hart didn’t come true, even if it looked as though it would at one point.
Hart looked set to be England’s number one for over a decade, and while 75 caps is nothing to be sniffed at, we’re approaching four years since he last pulled on an England shirt, and he’s only 33 years old.
Sadly, Hart’s peak didn’t last long, and while he was a fantastic stopper in his day, he didn’t manage to sustain the heights James expected of him.
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