Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola will not stand in Joe Hart's way if the goalkeeper decides to leave the club, the Spaniard said on Friday.
Guardiola has left Hart on the bench for City’s first two games of the season, with Willy Caballero starting instead, and is reportedly close to signing Claudio Bravo from his former club Barcelona.
Hart, 29, has been linked with Everton and Sevilla and although Guardiola is happy for him to stay and fight for his place, he accepts that he will not be able to keep the England international against his will.
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Asked if Hart can leave the club if he wants to, Guardiola told reporters at the City Football Academy training complex in Manchester: “Yes, of course.
“I want happiness for the players. I don’t want the players to stay here if they don’t want to stay.
“All the players here have a contract. They decide their future because they have a contract. If they want to stay, stay, and we will fight together.
“If they want to leave because they prefer to play every game — not speaking about Joe, speaking about all the players in the squad — I want to live and work with the players who want to stay.”
Hart has been City's first-choice goalkeeper for the past six seasons, contributing to two Premier League title wins, two League Cup successes and their 2011 FA Cup triumph.
But he had a poor Euro 2016 for England and was at fault for goals in their group-stage win over Wales and last 16 defeat by Iceland.
Guardiola was speaking ahead of his side’s trip to Stoke City in the Premier League on Saturday.
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if you go
The flights
Air Astana flies direct from Dubai to Almaty from Dh2,440 per person return, and to Astana (via Almaty) from Dh2,930 return, both including taxes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Ritz-Carlton Almaty cost from Dh1,944 per night including taxes; and in Astana the new Ritz-Carlton Astana (www.marriott) costs from Dh1,325; alternatively, the new St Regis Astana costs from Dh1,458 per night including taxes.
When to visit
March-May and September-November
Visas
Citizens of many countries, including the UAE do not need a visa to enter Kazakhstan for up to 30 days. Contact the nearest Kazakhstan embassy or consulate.
RESULT
Argentina 0 Croatia 3
Croatia: Rebic (53'), Modric (80'), Rakitic (90' 1)
A cheaper choice
Vanuatu: $130,000
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Benefits: No tax, no restrictions on dual citizenship, no requirement to visit or reside to retain a passport. Visa-free access to 129 countries.
Most%20polluted%20cities%20in%20the%20Middle%20East
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MOST%20POLLUTED%20COUNTRIES%20IN%20THE%20WORLD
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EPL's youngest
- Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
15 years, 181 days old
- Max Dowman (Arsenal)
15 years, 235 days old
- Jeremy Monga (Leicester)
15 years, 271 days old
- Harvey Elliott (Fulham)
16 years, 30 days old
- Matthew Briggs (Fulham)
16 years, 68 days old
Five healthy carbs and how to eat them
Brown rice: consume an amount that fits in the palm of your hand
Non-starchy vegetables, such as broccoli: consume raw or at low temperatures, and don’t reheat
Oatmeal: look out for pure whole oat grains or kernels, which are locally grown and packaged; avoid those that have travelled from afar
Fruit: a medium bowl a day and no more, and never fruit juices
Lentils and lentil pasta: soak these well and cook them at a low temperature; refrain from eating highly processed pasta variants
Courtesy Roma Megchiani, functional nutritionist at Dubai’s 77 Veggie Boutique