West Ham club captain Mark Noble has sprung to the defence of Manchester City ace Joe Hart as his move to east London grows closer.
In his comments about his former England Under-21s team-mate Noble refused to acknowledge the reports which linked him to West Ham, but admitted he was a “fantastic” player.
Speaking on Sky Sports News, Noble said of Hart: “He is obviously a fantastic goalie but at the minute he is not our player. We have got two really good goalies [Adrian and Darren Randolph] here so it would be more competition for them.
“In my opinion, he [Hart] has been a little bit hard done by in recent years. He has been fantastic for England and for his club for the last 10 years and he probably deserves a little bit more respect.”
Following Noble’s quotes, Sky have since reported on their live transfer blog (Sunday 4.34pm) the 30-year-old goalkeeper will undergo a medical with the east London club on Monday.
It is said Hart is set to join the Hammers on a season-long loan deal for the 2017-18 campaign, with club having the option to make the transfer permanent next summer..
Hart spent last season on loan in Serie A at Torino after he failed to impress City manager Pep Guardiola with his performances for England at the 2016 European Championships.
However, the 30-year-old is still a goalkeeper of considerable pedigree having made 348 appearances across all competitions for City, as well as earning 71 caps for England.
He has also helped the Citizens to two Premier League titles, and has won four Premier League Golden Gloves.