Manchester City have been told by the Premier League that they will not be able to recall Joe Hart from Birmingham City to resolve their goalkeeper crisis.
The club approached league authorities after injuries to Shay Given, Stuart Taylor and David Gonzalez, leaving Gunnar Nielsen as their only keeper.
City asked whether they would be allowed to recall Hart, who is on a season-long loan at Birmingham, and have now been told that would not be acceptable – but that they would be allowed to sign Sunderland’s third-choice keeper Marton Fulop as cover.
The next step is for City to lodge a formal request with the league to take Fulop on loan as an emergency measure.
