Manchester City bosses put England keeper Joe Hart's wages talks on hold

Manchester City are gambling on the long-term future of their England No1 Joe Hart by delaying contract talks until the summer. Their decision means that, for the time being, the 23-year-oldgoalkeeper will continue to help the fight for a Champions League spotand a first trophy since 1976 on a third of the wages of many of histeam-mates. Delay: Joe Hart must wait for a new contractHart, who signed a five-year deal in 2008 on an estimated ?30,000 a week, was widely reported to have been offered a new contract trebling his money earlier in the season. But City have now decided to delay, a policy supported by their increasingly influential chief operating officer, Graham Wallace. Hart, who has kept 22 clean sheets for City this season and has played more first-team games than anyone else, knows his pay is dwarfed by the ?100,000- a-week-plus of big-money outcasts like Wayne Bridge or Shay Given. Liverpool are likely to be on the look-out for a new keeper for next season, with Pepe Reina unlikely to resist Arsenal for a second consecutive summer. Hart, who faces Chelsea today in a game critical to each club's hopes of a topfour slot, has urged teammates to forget about using the number of matches City have played as an excuse for coming up short. 'Tiredness and fatigue affect everyone at this stage of the season,' he said. 'But top clubs are used to that and it's something we're adjusting to. 'Plenty of us are still fit so I don't think it's too much of a worry. You want to have things to play for towards the end of the season so you won't find me complaining.' City to entice Mourinho with ?10m-a-year deal, but Jose wants United jobMancini backing ?50m striker Torres to come goodAll the latest Manchester City news, features and opinion  Explore more:People: Shay Given, Joe Hart, Pepe Reina, Wayne Bridge Places: Liverpool, United Kingdom

Source: Daily_Mail