Allardyce: Man City’s Hart will be in England first team squad

Joe Hart will be in England’s squad despite being confined to the Manchester City bench, Sam Allardyce has confirmed.

The new manager names his first England squad on Sunday for World Cup qualifiers against Slovakia and Malta and it appears that there will be a space in the party for the Manchester City goalkeeper, who has yet to make an appearance under Pep Guardiola this season.

Speaking to Sky Sports News Allardyce confirmed that Hart, who has reportedly been told he can leave City, will “definitely” be in the party that travel to Slovakia for his first game in charge on September 4.

“In terms of picking Joe, he will be in the squad definitely. What [else] we do, I won’t really know until I speak to Joe,” Allardyce added.

“That’ll be the same with most of the players when they arrive. What frame of mind are they in, how are they from a mental and psychological point of view, [that is how we will] make the right selection for Slovakia away and start with a victory hopefully.”

With 63 caps to his name Hart is by some distance England’s most experienced goalkeeper. The other two named in Roy Hodgson’s squad for Euro 2016, Fraser Forster and Tom Heaton, had just seven between them.

Both Heaton and Forster are likely to join Hart in the squad. Stoke City’s Jack Butland, 23, is seen as the long-term successor but has been ruled out of the upcoming games with an ankle injury.