SHINING FOR THE ACADEMY

Micah Richards is one of the few players in the Manchester city team to have come through from the academy.

Several of the players who had come through along with him have left the club due to intense pressure from expensive signings. The same fate could befall Richards since he is finding very little first-team football due to the form of Pablo Zabaleta.

Richards is the longest serving player at the club, but he has been widely linked with a move in the January transfer window in order to improve his chances of playing for the England national team at World Cup 2014.