Micah Richards may no longer be considered a first choice for Manchester City, but he has no thoughts of leaving the Etihad Stadium.
Once considered one of the best young talents in the country, Richards has seen his career stall in recent times due in no small part to a string of injuries. Although he made 29 league appearances in their title-winning campaign of 2011-12, he played just seven last season and has featured just twice this term.
The 25-year-old recently returned to action following a hamstring complaint to star in the FA Cup third round replay against Blackburn Rovers, helping his side to a clean sheet in a 5-0 win. And as the Blues look to win silverware on all fronts, the right fullback is prepared to battle Pablo Zabaleta for a starting berth.
“Every player has ambitions to win things, and the players here know this club is going in one direction, and that is up,” he told the Manchester Evening News. “From a selfish point of view, it’s hard because there is so much quality in the squad and everyone wants to be playing week in week out.
“That is the hard thing to take for myself with Zabaleta. In the 15 months I have been out with injuries and he has come in and done an outstanding job for the team. Sometimes you have to hold up your hands and say that he was quality. That can be hard because you want to be playing, but as long as you are part and parcel of the team and the team is doing well, that is all I am bothered about.”
Richards has won 13 caps for England, the last of which came in a friendly against Holland almost two years ago. It seems as though he has little chance of earning a call up from Roy Hodgson for the World Cup Finals, particularly if he can’t get regular first team football. And although there would be a number of Premier League rivals willing to hand him such a platform, his latest words would indicate the chance of adding to his trophy cabinet in Manchester is his main priority.
