Joe Hart to retire at end of season

Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart has announced his plans to retire at the end of the season.

The former Manchester City and England number one cited the desire to “smash through the finish line” while still feeling physically strong.

He told Celtic TV: “I wanted to get the message out as of June I am going to stop playing football. This is something that I have thought about for a while, there’s no right or wrong time is there?

“There is obviously a conversation around the goalkeeping position for next season and I think it’s really important that with the blessing of the club we get the message out and it takes one thing out of what people are going to speculate over.

“Physically I feel great, I feel as good as I possibly can do. For my age and what I have done to my body, I have been on the bench since I was 15, have been involved in professional football every day since I was 16.

“I have gone down every avenue to keep myself in the best possible shape to give my all on game day and I do really think I am at that peak, but I am aware time waits for no man and I don’t want my body to be retiring me. That was one of the key factors, thinking I can smash through the finish line.

Mentally I am in the one place I like to be, I am in a place of clarity. Obviously I have thought about this a lot. There’s loads of key factors that have come into it but I think the right time is now.”

Manager Brendan Rodgers says Hart, who played 75 times for his country, will be a “huge miss to the game”.

As well as double title success north and south of the border, Hart has won six cup medals with City and Celtic.

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