Hart accepts his fate at City

Despite being shoved towards the Manchester City exit door by new boss Pep Guardiola, goalkeeper Joe Hart described his appearance against Steaua Bucharest in the Champions League as a “special” night.

Hart kept a clean sheet in what his likely to be his final appearance in a City shirt – he has been informed by Guardiola if he remains at the Etihad Stadium this season he will be third choice behind Willy Caballero and incoming Claudio Bravo.

The England stopper has also been warned by new international boss Sam Allardyce he will not be guaranteed the Three Lions No1 jersey this season unless he is playing regular first team football.

A proposed loan move to Everton seems to have collapsed this week, meaning Hart now has just a matter of days to secure a move away from Manchester.

Hart received an emotional standing ovation from City fans last night – after making 347 appearances for the club, the Blues faithful clearly value his contribution and are disappointed to see him depart.

(Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty Images)

“That was a really special night for me,” said Hart.

“I’ve had a lot of good nights in football but that was a really nice night for me.

“This is a special place for me and it’s a place I love to be. Situations occur in football and we’re men, we get on with it.

“I really appreciate the people of Manchester City and it turns out they appreciate me. Tonight I played for Manchester City and I enjoyed every moment of it.

“We’ve got a top manager that the club has wanted for a long time and he’s going to have his opinion on things.”