Joe Hart is Manchester City's No 1 for new Premier League season but 'his time is now' says Pep Guardiola

• Pep Guardiola believes Joe Hart has the quality to be his No 1 keeper
• Manchester City were linked with Marc Andre Ter-Stegen this summer
• Hart will start for City in their season opener against Sunderland
• Guardiola called new £47.5m signing John Stones 'a huge talent'

Joe Hart has been told to pick up Manchester City's new methods immediately.

That is the message from Pep Guardiola, who revealed on Friday that he has held talks with the goalkeeper about his footwork.

Guardiola played Victor Valdes at Barcelona and Manuel Neuer with Bayern Munich, both renowned for their ease in possession, and wants his City stopper to retain the same confidence. 

That has been a criticism levelled at Hart, who has been thrown into outfield training drills as well as his own regime in a bid to improve.

‘Joe has quality and he can do that... with time,’ Guardiola said. ‘I'm not saying he's not able to do it.

‘Maybe there are other goalkeepers with more quality of that. But with training Joe can do it, absolutely. With time. But his time is now - it's not about what happens in six months, seven months. Now he is a player of us.

‘Joe is a goalkeeper and with a goalkeeper I talk to him “here is the ball at your feet” rather than what he has to do with his hands. We have Xabier (Mancisidor, goalkeeping coach) for that. So we have had a chat about that.’ 

Hart will start against Sunderland at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday with John Stones in front of him, the central defender ready for a debut after signing for £47.5million from Everton this week.

Guardiola added: ‘I think John is important for us, an English player, a young player, a huge talent, with his ability to build up, with his intelligence to read the next step, the next pass, behind the line.

‘As a team we were able to do it in the fourth division with Barcelona B, bad pitches. So why can't we do it in better conditions, better players? We insist, insist.

‘The people come on Saturday and want to see the best City ever. That is impossible, I swear now I cannot do that. But I can convince the players to put something on the field - not depending on the tactic, on the opponents, but something for themselves, on the inside. We need to do that.’