Taylor will have a rare outing in Sunday's clash with Manchester City at Eastlands as on-loan Hart is ineligible to face his parent club. But the 38-year-old has nothing but admiration for Hart's capabilities even though his arrival has cost him his first team spot this season. The Northern Ireland international said: "Joe has done so well this season and exceeded all expectations. He has really impressed me. "I really do believe he will be England's first choice one day. There is no doubt about that. "I think he could be a real front-runner for the role another year down the line although the World Cup has maybe come a year too early for him. "In my view, he's been the best English keeper over the course of the season but a lack of international experience might be the only thing that goes against him." Blues boss Alex McLeish has already said he would like to sign Hart for another season. But he admitted earlier this week that his chances of retaining the services of the former Shrewsbury keeper were "slim." McLeish had also admitted he saw "no reason" why Taylor should not be offered a new deal. Taylor said: "The club have made me aware they would like me to stay on and hopefully it will be sorted. It suits with the family and everything to stay around."
