The amount of depth at Manchester City is a great sign for the club according to young defender Micah Richards.

The Eastlands club have gone about strengthening their squad over the past year-and-a-half thanks to seemingly endless financial backing from Sheikh Mansour's Abu Dhabi Group and now have a plethora of talent filling the subs bench.

21-year old Richards says although it is tough to gain regular first team minutes, everybody is in the same position and it can only make the club stronger.

"There will be seven people sitting on the bench who all think they deserve to be in the starting line up - most of whom will be internationals," he told the Manchester Evening News.

"That is great for the club and great for us as individuals.

"Obviously everyone wants to be playing but, by the same token, when people are in the team and doing well the manager can't just drop them.

"Look at Stephen Ireland and how he played last season and at the start of this one. He hardly puts a foot wrong, gets an injury and suddenly has to sit on the bench too.

"That's how far we have come as a group in the last few months and everyone has to be treated equally."