England and Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart doesn’t want to go on holiday, he’d rather the world swallowed him up.
A devastated Hart says international failure in his first playing World Cup – on the back of a double-winning season at City – is a new low for the 27-year-old.
“The World Cup will be everywhere, no matter where we are in the world, and it’ll be a constant reminder of where we could have been,” Hart told the Express.
“We’ve not got someone else to blame. We could have changed that, and we haven’t.
“It’ll play on our minds, but we have to move on. It’s got to be a learning curve. We’ve got to be learning constantly.”
Hart says the situation is not made any easier knowing manager Roy Hodgson cares a great deal for his players and has been crestfallen since Thursday’s defeat to Uruguay.
“If it was possible for him to say some magic words and find ourselves still in the competition then he would. But the reality is we are going home. It’s the worst feeling imaginable.
“It’s the worst I have ever felt – it’s a strange, empty feeling. I have put everything into this tournament. Ultimately it has left me completely gutted.”
The one positive for Hart is that he is an integral part of City’s future as the money-laden club seeks to become the next British power.
Despite concerns over City’s targeting of foreigners, seemingly at the expense of homegrown talent, Hart said places were won on merit.
“I have to look after myself and try and be in that team,” he said.
“It’s (foreign players dominating an English club) a difficult one to manage, but I’m sure the club are addressing it. If you’re English and good enough, you’ll definitely play at City.”
Main image courtesy of BBC via YouTube, with thanks.
