Hart denies Bent late on

Share this article:

Mancini keeps Hart grounded

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini is determined to keep star goalkeeper Joe Hart grounded.

The 24-year-old, tipped as a future England captain, has excelled for the table-toppers this season, reasserting his worth on Sunday with a fine stop to deny Darren Bent in a 1-0 win over Aston Villa.

Naturally Mancini is pleased with Hart’s form, but insists there is room for improvement.

“It is important to have a good goalkeeper,” he said. “I think that Joe is a good keeper. He is young, he needs to improve but he can become one of the best keepers in the world.”

When asked whether Hart was world class now, Mancini added: “No. He played three seasons in the Premier League. When one is a young player he needs to work a lot, needs to improve every day.

“I think that he improved a lot in the last three years but he’s only 24. He needs time. If you say he’s now already one of the best keepers then it’s bad for him.”