Pep Guardiola has revealed that his biggest regret from his decade at Manchester City is not giving Joe Hart a fair chance to prove himself. The admission comes as Guardiola prepares to step down as manager at the end of the season, with Sunday's match against Aston Villa set to be his last at the Etihad.
Upon joining City in 2016, Guardiola quickly decided to drop Hart following a poor European Championship campaign, favouring Claudio Bravo and Willy Caballero instead. Hart subsequently spent the 2016-17 season on loan at Torino, then West Ham, before joining Burnley permanently in 2018.
In an interview with Sky Sports, Guardiola said: 'I want to confess something. I have regrets. When you take a lot of decisions, you make mistakes. There is one regret I have deep inside for many years: I don't give the chance to Joe Hart to prove himself, how good a keeper he was. And I should have done.'
He added that he was 'stubborn' in his decision at the time, believing it was the right move, but now wishes he had given Hart an opportunity to compete for his place. Guardiola plans to take a break from management after leaving City, though he will take on a role with the club's foundation.
