West Ham United’s on loan goalkeeper Joe Hart has been England’s number one choice for sometime now, but are his World Cup hopes completely gone?
Not only has he lacked sufficient game time, but the former Liverpool defender highlighted that even when the 75-capped star has played in the last season or two, he has been poor, and his current bench role with West Ham is by no means unwarranted.
Hart, 30, will have been hopeful of an England revival when he signed for West Ham on loan at the beginning of the season. Starting the campaign as the club’s first choice, he conceded 10 goals in his first three games and was swiftly removed from his position to make way for existing Irons ‘keeper Adrian.
The 30-year-old has made 14 league appearances for the East London club so far, with most of these coming in the early stages of the season and, if he does not find his way back into the team in the final 10 or so fixtures, there is minimal chance of him making Gareth Southgate’s squad for Russia.
“It’s very difficult to put Joe Hart in [the England squad],” Carragher told Sky. “One, because he is not playing, and he’s not played very well when he has played for West Ham and when he was on loan at Torino.”
Playing week in, week out for your club is not a complete necessity when it comes to being selected internationally. Plenty of players in the past have featured sparsely for their clubs only to play for their national teams. However, it is Hart’s lack of form over the last two years at both club and international level that will be the biggest concern for Southgate.
The Three Lions may well see a new face between the sticks when it comes to Russia in the summer.
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