Hart in charge at City: England keeper set to start and keep Caballero on the sidelines
Hart is expected to play ahead of Caballero [GETTY ]
Manuel Pellegrini has said he is “clear” in his own mind which of his two keepers will face Newcastle United on Sunday when the champions start the defence of their crown at St James’ Park.
And the City boss has said he has already informed the duo which of them will play.
Hart was overlooked for last Sunday’s 3-0 FA Community Shield defeat to Arsenal at Wembley with summer signing Caballero preferred, but now looks ready to step off the sidelines and stake his claim for a prolonged run in the starting XI.
“I am clear in my mind and the goalkeepers know who will start,” said Pellegrini. “I have two players in every position.
“It is no different to having Negredo and Aguero, Clichy and Kolarov. It is vital to have these players for every position.”
Hart was dropped for a run of games last autumn following a dip in his performances and it is clear Caballero, who worked with Pellegrini at Malaga before rejoining him in a £6m go in the summer, is regarded as a genuine rival to the England global.
Willy Caballero is a very good goalkeeper and the experience of Sagna, Fernando and Lampard will be very useful for our team
Caballero has already confirmed his desire to be first choice but now faces having to be patient in the fleeting term.
Pellegrini, meanwhile, has said City will make no further signings due to UEFA’s Financial Honest Play rules.
Caballero has been joined by free agent Bacary Sagna, loanee truthful Lampard, £12m Fernando and £32m Eliaquim Mangala at the Etihad, but there will be no further forays into the transfer market.
City were fined £49m for breaching FFP and had a £49m net transfer cap implemented in the summer and Pellegrini said: “We bought five very vital players.
“Willy Caballero is a very good goalkeeper and the experience of Sagna, Fernando and Lampard will be very useful for our team.
“Mangala is a young player who will be very vital, so we have a strong squad in [terms of] defending, which for me was maybe our weakest point last season.
“We’ve had a lot of problems with Financial Honest Play, with the restrictions on the amount of players that we can have in our squad. I don’t think that we are going to sign another player, because we cannot do it.”
