Strong wrists: Hart made several telling saves against Ukraine

The difference with Hart is he is now allowed the odd mistake. That hasn’t been the case for an England goalkeeper, probably, since Paul Robinson’s demise after losing in Moscow in 2007. Scott Carson came in against Croatia with disastrous results, since when a succession of goalkeepers have always been one bad game from the sack, as happened to Robert Green against the United States in 2010.

Hart is the first in almost five years to earn the right not to be doubted if all does not go according to plan. After many years of believing England had the best goalkeepers in the world — Gordon Banks, Peter Shilton, Ray Clemence, David Seaman — the country can sense similar assurance growing in Hart.

‘I expect to make good saves now,’ he added. ‘You get into this great phase as a goalkeeper where you feel you should save everything and you’re disappointed if you don’t. Joleon Lescott knows me from City and he expects me to save everything, too, so when the ball swerves at me, he follows it in. His logic is, “You’re saving it, so I’ll back it up”. They’re there for me and I’m there for them. That’s how it works.’

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