Peter Shilton admits he always thought Joe Hart was overrated

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The former England goalkeeper believes the new Torino loanee must now fight for his place under manager Sam Allardyce.

England number one Joe Hart has been the subject of much criticism since his performances at Euro 2016 and now his predecessor Peter Shilton has had his say on the Manchester City outcast.

The Three Lions’ record cap holder told the Mirror: “Joe is one of our best ‘keepers, but I have never felt he was as good as a lot of people thought he was.

“I judge keepers by the amount of mistakes they make. We saw in the Euros — he made two mistakes in three games.”

Shilton was part of the England team that famously reached the 1990 World Cup semi-final, and 26 years on the feat seems almost unachievable for the current national side after their latest tournament disappointment.

The Three Lions crashed out of Euro 2016 in embarrassing fashion as they were beaten 2-1 by minnows Iceland in the last-16 with an error from Hart ultimately proving fatal.

The 29-year-old stopper has since been loaned out to Italian side Torino in an attempt to rediscover his form and prove the doubters wrong.

Hart has been England’s first choice ‘keeper since 2010, making over 60 caps for the national side, but Shilton believes the keeper’s actions do not reflect his experience.

“What I couldn’t understand about Joe is that he has 60-odd caps and yet people were saying he is getting too wound up before games at the Euros,” the 66-year-old continued.

“If you don’t know what you are doing when you have got 60-odd caps, I think there is something wrong. I thought he looked over-wound up before games in the Euros.”

Shilton now feels Hart must take advantage of his loan move as a fresh opportunity to re-establish himself as one of Europe’s top goalkeepers in Serie A.

“The Man City thing is unfortunate for him but the manager has his own decision and it is going to be a real challenge for him to play in the Italian league,” he said.

“Joe just has to take it on the chin and go and play really well for Torino and establish himself with England again.”