Manchester City misfit Joe Hart’s Torino career off to a flyer as boss praises loanee for picking up the Italian lingo
Goalkeeper to make debut in fiery away test at Atalanta and has already made a good impression on new gaffer
JOE HART has been given a 50-word crash course in Italian ahead of his Serie A debut for Torino.
Just 24 hours after Claudio Bravo made an unimpressive start to his Manchester City career, the England No 1 begins his adventure away from the Etihad — at Atalanta.
And he does so with a ringing endorsement from Torino boss Sinisa Mihajlovic.
The Serb revealed yesterday that Hart’s attitude to taking the plunge and leaving the Premier League for Italy has been impressive — including trying to pick up the lingo.
Mihajlovic said: “I am not surprised Joe has decided to come to Torino. I spoke to him before he signed because I wanted to understand if his heart was in this move.
“I didn’t want a player who was coming for one season only because he needed to play or wanted a new experience. I wanted a player who wanted to come to Torino, who wanted to play for us.
“I had good feedback from him so I’m not surprised. He is speaking a few words and phrases in Italian because we have taught him 50 basic football words such as pass, kick, forward and defend and midfield. That sort of thing.
“He has trained very well. In England, training is very intensive and very hard. All the players train very hard. Maybe here in Italy some players do not have the same English mentality towards training. But he has trained hard. That’s good for us and good for him.”
Mihajlovic’s press conference was staged at exactly the same time as Bravo was struggling on his City debut at Old Trafford.
And Torino’s boss was happy to crack a joke at the expense of Pep Guardiola, who axed Hart because he wanted a keeper with better distribution.
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Mihajlovic said: “Maybe he wants a goalkeeper who is good with his feet but with Joe Hart I have a goalkeeper who is good with his feet.
“Maybe Pep wants a goalkeeper who can play like Pep. If he has another player he doesn’t like, he can tell me and I will have him also here in Torino!”
In the club shop across the road from the stadium, the most popular shirt being bought by fans is Hart’s top with No 21 on the back. About 1,500 fans will make the two-hour trip to Bergamo this lunchtime to watch his debut.
Hart’s move has intrigued Italian football fans and has been debated in the media over the last couple of days.
Incredibly, the 29-year-old will be the first English goalkeeper to feature in Serie A since its inception in 1929.
Torino are keeping an open mind as to whether Hart could make his move to north-west Italy permanent.
Mihajlovic said: “We haven’t spoken about the future — it’s too early.
“Obviously he’s a big player. It depends on this season. If he enjoys a good season maybe he will stay. It also depends on what he thinks.”