Joe Hart might be ridiculed for conceding four on debut, but joining West Ham will help him cement his England World Cup starting spot
The goalkeeper's Hammers debut was hardly a dream one against Manchester United... but he will have plenty of opportunity to prove his credentials to Gareth Southgate
IT was hardly the West Ham debut Joe Hart was dreaming of.
Four goals conceded, and a queue of social media snipers immediately adjusting their sights and firing insults about how he should have saved a couple of them.
But although it won’t feel like it at the moment, in time it could be the ideal move if Hart is to end the doubts and cement his place as England’s first choice World Cup keeper next summer.
He won’t need telling that he could made a better fist of keeping out Paul Pogba’s late fourth at Old Trafford yesterday.
Yet that aside, Hart was far from the worst performer in a Hammers shirt. Not that he had a lot of serious competition, mind.
They were pretty woeful from top to bottom – and on a personal, chance-to-prove-a-point level, that could ultimately work in Hart’s favour as far as England is concerned.
For if the display at Manchester United is anything to go by, he will have plenty of opportunities to show he is still the keeper of old.
Let’s face it, he will see far more of the ball behind the West Ham backline than he would at Manchester City.
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At a top side, a keeper may be called on no more than two or three times a game, at most. Just look at David de Gea against the Hammers yesterday.
Hart, in direct contrast, will have to make eight, nine, ten saves and more. The ball will very much be in his court.
And he will be in a far more public and obvious spotlight than if he was still trying to re-establish his reputation in Serie A with Torino.
Eight years ago, Hart – albeit at the different end of his career – spent a season on loan at Birmingham, after Shay Given joined City as first choice.
Hart responded with a wonder-season, finishing as Birmingham's Player of the Year, helping them to ninth, making the short list as PFA’s Young Player award and winning a place in their Team of the Year.
Playing with a less fashionable club – certainly as a keeper – is most definitely no barrier to proving yourself. The exact opposite, in fact.
Just look at Jordan Pickford as a more recent example. Last season he was playing for the worst team in the league at Sunderland, the side which finished rock bottom.
Yet it was also the campaign which saw the 23-year-old establish himself as the best young keeper in the country, and ultimately land a £30 million move to Everton.
Not bad for a man who started the season as second choice. Again, incidentally, after a hugely impressive loan spell at Preston.
Yes, Hart has had far better days than the one at Old Trafford, but he made some decent stops as well. It could – possibly would – have been an even bigger hiding without him.
So everyone jumping on the bandwagon to write him off after one game back in the Prem may be getting ahead of themselves here.
It could just be the move which proves he is one of the best stoppers in the business. Whatever Pep Guardiola thinks.
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