England watch - Micah Richards
Wednesday, 25 Oct 2006 14:48
Micah Richards is attracting interest from some high-profile clubs
For the best part of the last decade, England's right-hand side has been dominated by two players, namely best friends David Beckham and Gary Neville. Steve McClaren's hastily wielded axe has already fallen on the former skipper, but at full-back, Neville appears unmovable.
This of course has much to do with a dearth of competition for the Manchester United skipper's number two shirt, with Glen Johnson and Luke Young both failing to make any lasting impression in their rare international forays due to Neville's incapacity.
Johnson may have got his act together at Portsmouth this season, but with the only other English full-back regularly playing being the unspectacular Nicky Hunt, any hope of McClaren unearthing an heir apparent for Neville appeared to have faded.
Enter Micah Richards.
Name: Micah Richards
Position: Defender
Club: Manchester City
Age at start of South Africa 2010: 22
Since bursting onto the scene with a blockbusting last-gasp leveller against hometown club Aston Villa in last year's FA Cup fifth round, the Manchester City starlet has built up a growing fan base, on and off the pitch.
Richards is a graduate of the Brazilian soccer squad, proving that he can play a bit too, but it is his all-action displays that have won him praise in a City rearguard that seems intent on recapturing Newcastle's crown as the worst-back four in the Premiership.
A versatile player, Richards can also play at centre-back or in the midfielder holding role, but it is in the problematic right-back position that his best chance of an England call-up lies.
Having made his debut as a 17-year-old against Arsenal last season, the pacy defender took a starring starting role in the Villa FA Cup tie, memorably swearing live on air in his maiden TV interview following the match, leading to some parental reprimands from Garth Crooks.
For the rest of the season, however, Richards did not look back, easily supplanting former England full-back Danny Mills (now of Hull) in the Blues' first XI.
With the Manchester City young player of the year award under his belt, the promising defender was then linked with moves to a number of high-profile clubs, not least London duo Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur.
Despite tying him down to a four-year contract in the close season, City manager Stuart Pearce recently admitted that he would struggle to keep the youngster at Eastlands, especially if the club's poor run of form continued.
"If there is an extremely good young player at any club outside the top four he is going to create interest," Pearce told the Times.
The former England stalwart added: "We're not actively looking to sell Micah. I like him as a player, I've backed him from the time he was a 17-year-old and we think he has got a bright future at this club, but it does concern me [that he could get his head turned]."
Richards has cemented his reputation this season with some dominant performances, including his first England under-21 cap against Moldova and another last-minute equaliser, this time against Everton.
Neville will be 35 come South Africa 2010, surely too lofty an age to be competing against the world's best attackers, but with a promising young defender with a penchant for last-minute goals attracting the interest of the Premiership champions, the full-back berth may yet be in safe hands.
England's 2010 World Cup squad
*Players in bold – tickets to South Africa booked already
Goalkeepers
Paul Robinson
Possibles:
Chris Kirkland,
Ben Foster,
Rob Green,
Scott Carson
Defenders
John Terry,
Ashley Cole,
Rio Ferdinand,
Jamie Carragher
Possibles:
Glen Johnson,
Joleon Lescott,
Micah Richards,
Ledley King,
Michael Dawson,
Anton Ferdinand,
Leighton Baines,
Justin Hoyte,
Curtis Davies,
Wes Brown,
Phil Bardsley,
Michael Mancienne
Midfielders
Steven Gerrard,
Frank Lampard,
Owen Hargreaves,
Joe Cole,
Michael Carrick
Possibles:
Aaron Lennon,
Tom Huddlestone,
Nigel Reo-Coker,
Lee Cattermole,
Shaun Wright-Phillips,
Stewart Downing,
Giles Barnes,
James Morrison,
Kieran Richardson
Forwards
Wayne Rooney,
Michael Owen
Possibles:
David Nugent,
Theo Walcott,
James Vaughan,
Gabriel Agbonlahor,
Jermain Defoe,
Peter Crouch,
Darren Bent,
Dean Ashton,
Cameron Jerome