Bryan Robson is of the belief that England boss Sam Allardyce will lift the spirits of Joe Hart this week.

The Manchester City goalkeeper is currently in Italy to complete a season-long loan move to Torino but will soon be back at St George's to prepare for Sunday's opening 2018 World Cup qualifier against Slovakia.

Hart has been pushed out of City by new manager Pep Guardiola, which has potentially dented his confidence, but Robson is confident Allardyce is the man to pull him out of the doldrums.

"Joe Hartwill be in safe hands this week. Sam Allardyce will see to that," the Manchester United great wrote on his column for The Sun.

"No matter whether Big Sam keeps him as England No 1 or not come Sunday and Slovakia, he will look after him in an emotional sense.

"Not that Joe will be handled with kid gloves. The World Cup qualifier is Sam's first game as the Three Lions manager and he will want to mark his debut with a win.

"So Hart, like everybody else in the squad, will have fierce demands put upon him in a mental sense as well as in a physical one.

"But for all his hardman image Sam is above anything else a human being. He will be well aware of how difficult life has suddenly become for Hart.

"Sam could not care less about reputations. He will not stand on ceremony if he is not happy with what he is seeing.

"But I also know that from talking to plenty of players who have worked under him, and from listening to him myself, that he has the kind of human touch that gets the best out of his men."