Man City cult hero lists the England youngsters to keep an eye on
Not so long ago, Micah Richards was an England prodigy himself, making his debut against Israel and scoring the winning goal in a 1-0 victory at Wembley in 2007.
Over a decade later, the Man City legend has 246 appearances for the Sky Blues under his belt, along with a Premier League title and an FA Cup, having written himself into legendary status at Eastlands after rising through the academy ranks.
Bursting onto the scene with a last minute FA Cup equaliser away to Aston Villa, prompting an over-excited post-match interview, Richards boasted an exciting career before injuries eventually got the better of him - forcing the Englishman to retire in the summer.
Looking back on an astonishing City career, speaking exclusively to Bwin as part of their new campaign, the 31-year-old listed who could potentially go further than him in their future England call-ups.
Richards never had many opportunities to impress for the national side, partly due to selective management and drops in form at the wrong time, but the ex-international thinks these guys are the ones to really watch out for.
“Ones to watch, for me, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Phil Foden, Tomori at Chelsea,” explained the ex-Aston Villa man.
“Mason Mount, as well, looks like a real player to me.
“I think he’s scored four goals this season already in the Premier League so I’d definitely say Mount.”
Going on to explain how these youngsters could potentially thrive even more, Richards then went on to recommend studying abroad in different leagues - having spent a season on loan at Fiorentina in 2014/2015 himself.
The Englishman made 19 appearances for the Italian outfit that season, managing to grab an assist during his time in Serie A, and whilst he may not have had the most lucrative season of his career - Richards insist the learning curve could prove far more valuable.
“When you go out and play in different leagues, experiencing different cultures, it can only better the player.
“What I’m loving to see now is Abraham, Mount, Tomori, they’re thriving.
“Go and look at Sancho at Man City, obviously a real talent there, he took a leap of faith, now he’s at Dortmund and worth £100-million plus.”
Indeed, even though the City hero didn’t quite live up to his international billing, he believes these wonder kids could very well live up to their high expectations.