Joe Hart: On the bench for City's past four games

Hart was dropped for Costel Pantilimon after a defeat at Chelsea last month and has sat out City's past four games.

The goalkeeper started for England against Germany in midweek and kept the score down to 1-0 with several eye-catching saves.

Pellegrini was impressed but, pressed for answers ahead of Sunday's Sky live game against Spurs at the Etihad Stadium, suggested that Hart would remain among the City substitutes.

He said: "I can't continue to always answer about Hart and Pantilimon.

"Both are very good goalkeepers. Now we are playing Pantilimon, so Hart must wait.

"We'll see what happens in the future. With all the players in the squad - not only the keepers - I have to choose the final starting 11 each week.

"We'll see - it depends on the performance of him and the performance of Pantilimon also."

Continuing to discuss Hart, he added: "It was very important for him to play with England. It was an important game for England against Germany, it is a good test. I think he did very well."

Pellegrini was asked to explain his suggestion earlier this week Hart would benefit from a run out of the side.

He said: "He played the last two and a half years all the games in the Premier League. All the players are human and can have a bad moment."

The Chilean also stressed that he has confidence in Pantilimon, adding: "If I was worried about him, he would not be here. We'd have changed him at the beginning of the year.

"He remains here because he is a good keeper as well."

City go into the weekend with an injury list still including David Silva and captain Vincent Kompany, who has lost his fight to be fit for the Spurs game.

"Vincent is still working," continued Pellegrini, "recovering from his last injury. Maybe the next week he will work with the whole team."

Given the amount of time Kompany has spent out with muscle problems in the past two years, Pellegrini was repeatedly asked whether the matter was a serious concern.

"Of course," he said. "He is a very important player for the team but when we started the season we had a squad which would help us if this happened.

"We have other centre-backs who are playing at the moment but Vincent is always an important player.

"We are doing all the things we need to understand why he has so many injuries. I'm not a doctor. I talk with him but I can't tell you the opinion."

Watch Manchester City v Tottenham on Sky Sports 1 this Sunday. Coverage begins at 12.30pm.