Having been involved with the Three Lions at this summer's World Cup finals, the 23-year-old keeper was given extra time off by City to recharge his batteries, However, Hart insists he already feels fresh, having seen no action in South Africa, and has stepped up his preparations for the 2010/11 campaign on the Blues' tour of America. His top ambition for the new season is to dislodge Shay Given as first-choice shot-stopper at Eastlands, before going on to become the last line of defence for his country. "I'm here early," Hart said in the Daily Mirror. "They were asking me to come a little bit earlier, but I thought I needed a little bit more time. "I wasn't playing in South Africa, but it was still a long, old season with it being combined with what went before. But after a couple of weeks, I feel fine now. "I just want to be playing all the time. That's how I am. I enjoyed the World Cup. I got behind Jamo (David James) and Greenie (Robert Green) when they played and just tried to do my bit as best I could. "I just enjoy playing, it's what I love doing. I've been so keen to come back, kick balls, have fun and be involved in football again." Hart shone during a season-long loan spell at Birmingham last season, earning him a spot in the PFA Team of the Year. He is hoping those showings will have caught the eye of City boss Roberto Mancini, who he is yet to work under having spent the whole of the 2009/10 campaign at St Andrew's. He appreciates that Given, who has almost shaken off a dislocated shoulder, will be a tough man to move from the starting XI, but he is determined to give it his best shot. "I just want to play and we'll just see how that one works out," he added. "I think Shay is fine. I think he will definitely be fit for the start of the season. We will both have to see how it pans out, but it's not really up to me. "I spoke to the manager towards the end of last season and I've met him out here. It seems that he has got good intentions for the club. I think he's behind it all the way, training the lads hard and bringing the right people in."
