Former top stopper still believes Hart is the best in the league.
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Former goalkeeping legend Neville Southall has backed under fire Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart as the best the league has to offer, talkSPORT reports.
The 26-year-old came in for some heavy criticism for his part in the club’s 3-2 defeat at the hands of newly promoted Cardiff City at the weekend, just a week after a high profile error in the international friendly between England and Scotland.
But the ex-Everton man has said that he has no doubts over what the former Shrewsbury man is capable of and has backed him to rediscover his best form soon.
“Hart is still five or six years off his peak. He’s not going to be perfect, is he? So I don’t get where all the criticism comes from,” he said.
“Yeah, you play for England so you’re open to more stick than normal I suppose, but they’ve got to remember there’s nobody better than him. He’s as good as anything else in the Premier League.
“I always work out that if you’re good, you’re always going to get criticised. And if you’re rubbish no-one gives a monkey’s!”
Southall also refuted the claims that Hart has become complacent at the lack of competition for places at the club.
“Does he need pushing? Not really because he’s in a position where he’s under immense pressure as it is because he’s Manchester City’s first choice goalkeeper. And with the money they’ve got he’s always under immense pressure.
“And with England he will get slaughtered if he does anything wrong.”