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Tottenham news: Micah Richards feels ‘very sorry’ for Spurs player

Giuseppe Labellarte

Thu 13 May 2021 21:15, UK

Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Joe Hart has been praised by Micah Richards, who believes the 34-year-old Spurs man deserved a better career twilight.

The veteran stopper joined Tottenham on a free transfer last August, penning a two-year deal in North London.

Hart was a regular for Manchester City and England, with close to 350 competitive appearances for the Etihad side and 75 Three Lions caps.

He had a couple of difficult years prior to joining Spurs, being frozen out under Pep Guardiola and subsequently struggling on loan at Torino and West Ham.

At Burnley, meanwhile, he fell out of first-team contention and made just three appearances last season.

Although Hart may not have joined Spurs with regular first-team action in mind, he has proven a capable deputy for Hugo Lloris.

Richards, speaking on the Greatest Game , named his former teammate in his dream five-a-side team.

“In net I’ve got to go Joe Hart,” said Richards. “I know he’s not ended his career the way he has wanted to.

“Those seasons in the Champions League and when we won the league he was ridiculous.

“I feel very sorry for him. He’s more than that [a sub]. What’s he got, 60 caps for England?”

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For a player to win two Premier League titles, two League Cups and an FA Cup during his career, not to mention being by the likes of Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta, it’s testament to his quality.

Therefore, you can’t really argue with Richards’ assessment – while he’s still playing for a high-profile Premier League club, he’s got enough quality to be a first-team regular.

That said, Hart is finally looking happy and settled for the first time in years, so from a personal perspective, that’s good to see.