Micah Richards was once considered one of the hottest properties in English football. Strong and athletic, with seemingly excellent defensive abilities, many believed he would succeed Gary Neville in the England team and make the right-back position his own for years to come. When he won his first cap for England in November 2006, he became the youngest defender ever to be called up to the England squad, at the tender age of 18. For a defender to be called up at such a young age is remarkable, but such was the talent and potential displayed by Richards that his selection was absolutely justified. After breaking into the Manchester City team Richards became one of the clubs top performers, and there was no shortage of suitors that sought his services. In the past few seasons however, Richards’ form has tailed off, and his immense potential gone unfulfilled. After picking up 11 England caps and one goal in a year, Richards has not been capped since England’s disastrous 2-3 loss to Croatia in November 2007. After a couple of frustrating seasons, Micah Richards will be looking to get both his club and international career back on track, and start fulfilling the potential he once displayed. With supposed interest from Tottenham Hotspur amongst other clubs, the question of whether he can do this at Manchester City is open to debate.
Richards, who can play at right-back or at centre-back now has a lot of competition in the Man City squad. Kolo Toure, Joleon Lescott, Jerome Boateng, Vincent Kompany, Pablo Zabaleta and Nedum Onuoha will all be competing with Richards for a starting berth. Richards though, played primarily as a right-back last term and the main competition here is Pablo Zabaleta, though Jerome Boateng despite preferring a position in central defence can play as a full-back on either side. Roberto Mancini has not however signed an out and out right-back this summer, hinting that Richards has a future at Eastlands and will get chances to play this season.
In an interview with the Manchester Evening News, Mancini stated “Micah is part of my plans. He’s played here for four or five years, and I think that he must improve.” The Italian also said “It is better for him that we work to improve every day, because he has everything he needs to be a strong player.”
The City manager clearly sees Richards as having a future at the club, and judging by his words has faith in the player’s ability to become a good defender. Micah Richards will get chances at Manchester City this season, but he if he doesn’t take them there is no shortage of players to take his place. This though, would also be the case at most Premier League clubs of the level that Richards would join. The question is whether Richards has stagnated at Man City, and if joining a new club would give him the fresh start he needs to become the top-class defender he has the talent to become. It is possible that this is the case; some players do need a move to kick-start their career. At Manchester City though, Richards is part of an ambitious and growing club, and his manager has shown that he has faith in him. If Micah Richards is to have a successful season, it is down to him to knuckle down and try his damndest to perform well and cement his position at right-back. If he can do this, Richards will have a long career ahead of himself for both his club and his country.
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With the PL season nearly upon us, let’s see the WAGS that will be keeping the players on their toes. Click on image to VIEW gallery
