Joe Hart rejected Sunderland loan approach during summer

By Daniel Lewis, Senior Reporter | 02 December 2016

Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart claims that joining Torino on loan 'appealed more' to him than spending the season in the Premier League with Sunderland.

Joe Hart has revealed that he turned down the chance to remain in the Premier League by joining Sunderland on loan during the summer, instead opting to try his luck in Serie A with Torino.

The Manchester City stopper lost his place to Wilfredo Caballero and Claudio Bravo and is now likely to depart the Etihad Stadium on a permanent deal next year.

Hart was linked with a deadline-day switch to Sunderland prior to rushing through his Torino move, and Black Cats manager David Moyes recently suggested that it was his decision to pull the plug due to Jordan Pickford's impressive breakthrough.

However, the England international has now had his say on the matter, claiming that it was in fact the other way around - it was he who snubbed the chance to ply his trade at the Stadium of Light.

"Whatever makes him feel better, he can say," he told the Daily Mail. "There were a couple of other things. But it was more the clubs, not necessarily the team itself, so I had to be careful where I put my eggs. [Torino] appealed the most."

Hart, who has started 12 games since joining Torino in August, reportedly has the option to remain in Turin for another full campaign.