Moyes claimed to have declined the chance to sign Hart for Sunderland.
Joe Hart rejected Sunderland and not the other way around, the England goalkeeper has told the Daily Mail.
Hart was heavily linked with a move to the Stadium of Light towards the end of the summer window, but joined Italian side Torino instead, on a season-long loan from Manchester City.
At the time, Sunderland were scrambling around Europe for cover between the sticks, after Vito Mannone was ruled out until November.
However, according to Mackems boss David Moyes, he declined the chance to sign Hart, claiming it would have stunted Jordan Pickford’s development.
“I could have brought in Joe Hart, we thought he would have been ideal for us,” Moyes was quoted as saying by the Sunderland Echo. “But I had to think of Jordan’s progression too and he hasn’t let us down.”
When asked about Moyes’ comments, however, a smiling Hart told the Daily Mail: “Whatever makes him feel better, he can say.
“There were a couple of other things. But it was more the clubs, not necessarily the team itself, so I had to be careful where I put my eggs. This one appealed the most.”
Despite failing to sign a new keeper ahead of August’s deadline, Sunderland were later granted permission to bring in Boavista shot-stopper Mika Domingues on a two-year deal.
Pickford’s displays have seen Mika spend most of his time on the substitutes’ bench, however, with the returning Mannone taking the place of the Portuguese in each of their last two fixtures.
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