City rule out Richards sale

Hughes won't let defender leave

Last updated: 28th November 2009   Subscribe to RSS Feed

City rule out Richards sale

Richards: No move

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Manchester City boss Mark Hughes has ruled out letting Michah Richards leaving the club.

Richards, who has 11 senior caps, has seen his England chances diminish over the last 18 months, with Fabio Capello banishing him to the to the Under-21s since taking charge.

He has also struggled to maintain his place in City's starting XI with Pablo Zabaleta and Nedum Onuoha rivalling him for selection.

But Hughes is insistent that Richards is a big part of his plans, as he looks to fend off reported interest from Aston Villa and Tottenham.

"Micah Richards is not going anywhere in January," said Hughes.

"He is a big part of what we are trying to do here and we know he can improve.

"Don't forget, he is still a very young man.

"His football experience is great for someone of so few years and sometimes he doesn't get enough credit for that.

"But he is nowhere near the finished article. There is a huge amount of potential still to be tapped into.

"Micah's physical attributes lend themselves to so many positions.

"We just have to make sure he is training and playing correctly because he will grow into an outstanding player.

"He had a real burst of attention when he broke into the team but with a young player you always have a period where they plateau out.

"You have to get used to people taking a more critical view of you and maybe Micah has found that adjustment difficult."