Joe Hart admits he feared Man City exit when Guardiola took charge in 2016

Pep Guardiola made it emphatically clear to Joe Hart that he needed to leave Manchester City after he returned from England's disastrous campaign at Euro 2016, the former Premier League winner has revealed.

Hart had been almost ever-present for six seasons when Guardiola joined the club from Bayern Munich, almost immediately signalling the end of a City career that had seen the goalkeeper help the Spaniard's new employers to the title in the 2011/12 and 2013/14 seasons.

'I was fairly concerned,' Hart told the Guardian, recalling his return from an ignominious tournament in which England won just once and suffered a wretched defeat against Iceland in a shock round of 16 exit in France.

'Lots of important people tried to reassure me. But you just have a feeling, don't you? I came back late from the Euros and he made it clear when I got there that I needed to be out by that window.

'That's Pep's brilliance. He makes decisions and stands by them. I don't dislike him. We get on as men and we both love football.'

Hart initially moved to Torino on loan but never played for City again, becoming a regular for the Serie A side during his season in Italy and being borrowed by West Ham the following campaign as his England career fizzled out.

Now in his second season at Burnley, Hart is yet to make a career appearance this season, playing understudy to Nick Pope - one of the goalkeepers who has replaced him in the England squad since his last appearance for his country in 2017.

Challenged about the frustrations of not playing a Premier League match for well over a year, Hart conceded:  'Yeah, but I embrace that feeling. 'I'm glad I feel like that because you need that fire in you.

'You almost need that arrogance to think: "Why am I not being picked?" The reason that I'm at the top fighting, or have been at the top, is because that's in me.

'It's got stronger. This lockdown has made me realise how much I want to play football. All I want to do is be a big part of something.'

Hart admits he is at his 'lowest point' and accepts that another transfer could be his best option should his determination to force his way into Burnley's first-team plans fail to culminate in displacing Pope.

He has been inspired by watching Michael Jordan documentary The Last Dance while the Premier League is suspended, and will make a television appearance of his own when he talks to Prince William about some of the challenges he has faced on a BBC mental health documentary on Thursday.

'I understand I'm not going to be part of Real Madrid,' he said. 'I don't think I've lost the ability, but I know how football works.

'I just want to be a big part of a club and give my all to them. That hope burns through me.'