Aston Villa’s Micah Richards just went 500 days without a game
By Josh Tonti
Per the Daily Mail, Micah Richards just went his 500th consecutive day without a first-team appearance for Aston Villa Football Club. Will he ever see a loan deal?
To be completely honest, I had forgotten about Micah Richards.
I mean, I know he’s still contracted to the club. The gargantuan-sized deal he signed under Tim Sherwood runs through the summer of 2019. Aston Villa Football Club have another 16 months or so of the reported £50,000 (reduced to ~£35,000 after relegation) per week wage bill.
Over at the Daily Mail, writer Laurie Whitwell brilliantly details how Richards just went 500 days without a first-team appearance. 500. Five. Hundred. Days. Now I remind everyone, there exists no catastrophic injury. Richards is perfectly fit and available for selection. Well, mostly fit anyway. The former England international has a weird knee tendinitis situation that requires added ice and recovery between intense training sessions.
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Speaking of England, Micah Richards made his international debut 12 years ago. He doesn’t even turn 30 until late June of this year. That’s how long he’s been playing first-team football since his breakthrough days at Manchester City.
I empathize with Micah Richards, I really do. The article claims Richards twice conversed with Steve Bruce about making the eighteen in the Carabao Cup matches versus Wigan Athletic and Middlesbrough.
He was rebuffed, of course, but his desire for success or devotion to the club cannot be questioned. He’s adored by some of the young Academy players who frequently train up with the first-team. His personality is always, at least outwardly, jovial and kind.
Mind you, this is the same Micah Richards, captain of the 2015/2016 Aston Villa team that produced one of the worst Premier League products the league had ever seen. Perhaps no other player directly contributed more to Villa’s demise than Richards himself. In all, him just continuing at the club, controversy-free, with a smile, is impressive in itself.
Can he at least get a loan move?
I see no reason he can’t sanction a move after the season, but then again I thought surely someone would take a chance this past summer and winter windows. No takers, not even those willing to throw-in a partial wage bill cover.