Sunderland manager David Moyes has revealed that he rejected the chance to sign Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart in the summer.
The England number one joined Serie A side Torino on a season-long loan after City manager Pep Guardiola made it clear that the shot-stopper was not his first choice.
Wilfredo Caballero was selected ahead of Hart prior to Claudio Bravo's arrival from Barcelona before the close of the summer transfer window.
Moyes, who has overseen just one win in 11 Premier League games at Sunderland, has now claimed that signing Hart was an option for the Black Cats after Vito Mannone suffered an injury in August.
However, the Scottish boss decided to put his faith in Jordan Pickford, who has impressed for the North-East outfit since coming into the fold.
"When I arrived, Vito Mannone was probably the No1 on experience but his injury meant we needed to turn to Jordan and he has stood up to all we've asked of him," Moyes told the Shields Gazette.
"I could have brought in Joe Hart, we thought he would have been ideal for us, but I had to think of Jordan's progression too and he hasn't let us down."
Sunderland remain at the bottom of the league table, six points adrift of safety.
