Jack Butland was “gutted” for Joe Hart after the Manchester City goalkeeper was omitted from England’s World Cup squad, with the Stoke No 1 texting commiserations to a player he considers a hero.
Hart, who spent last season on loan at West Ham, played in the majority of England’s qualifiers for Russia 2018 but was then excluded by Gareth Southgate for the finals. Butland, who will now compete with Jordan Pickford and Nick Pope for the starting jersey, said: “We all thought, ‘Wow’. It was a gutsy decision from the manager. I’ve spoken to Joe. I know he’s devastated to miss out.
“I texted him once the squad had been announced and said ‘I’m absolutely gutted for you’. He’s been my hero since I was 14 years old and I still look up to him. It was important for me to tell him that because you don’t often get opportunities to tell people what you really think about them.”
Butland first met his hero at Birmingham City when Hart was on loan there in 2009-10. “When I was coming through at Birmingham – him as a goalkeeper, him as a person, I admired him,” he added.
“I wanted to be where he was, I wanted to be the No 1 for Birmingham and the No 1 for England and he was all those things. As we’ve got older, certainly the last couple of years, I’ve seen and learned more from Joe than I ever could have thought.
“What he’s been through and the humility that he’s dealt with things … despite everything that’s gone on. He’s always been the first one to congratulate whoever’s played. That shows more about Joe as a person and character than any of the saves or great performances he’s had throughout his career.”
