Micah Richards Finally Set to Be Released By Aston Villa After Nearly 2 Years Without a Game
Micah Richards is set to be released by Aston Villa after almost two years without playing a game for the club.
Richards' last Villa appearance came in a 1-1 draw against Wolves on 15 October 2016. 668 days and over 100 Aston Villa matches have passed since then, and it looks like the Villans are finally ready to shift the dead wood.
Catherine Ivill - AMA/GettyImages
Richards' £35,000-a-week contract has earned him over £3m since he last set foot on a football pitch, but the Birmingham Mail claims that Richards is finally on the brink of leaving Villa Park.
The Birmingham-born defender was billed as the next big thing when he broke into the Manchester City team in 2005. He was called up to the England team the following year and had over 10 caps before the age of 20.
He even scored a goal for England, against Israel in 2007. However, after England's failure to qualify for Euro 2008 he only ever played twice more for the national team, the last of which came in 2012.
Malcolm Couzens/GettyImages
He was part of the Manchester City side that won their maiden Premier League title that year but his career has taken a downwards trajectory since.
After an unsuccessful loan spell at Fiorentina, he joined Aston Villa in 2015. His first season at Villa Park ended in relegation to the Championship, and he has played just 3 competitive matches since then.
Ross McCormack could also be heading for the exit door, as he no longer appears to be part of Steve Bruce's plans following last season's prolific loan spell at Melbourne City.
