Micah Richards has told new club-mate Fabian Delph to carefully consider whether or not a move to Manchester City is right for him.


Villa midfielder Delph has been linked with an £8million transfer to the Etihad this summer but Richards, who is a product of the City youth set up, has warned his new colleague about the lack of first team opportunities at City.

"It's tough isn't it? If he´s got guarantees to play... He's been unbelievable for Aston Villa. Every player wants to play at the highest level," Richards told Sky Sports.

"If he's going to be playing Champions League...I don't know, but if he's going there to be a squad player, then no,"

Richards himself knows the difficulties of holding down a place in the City starting line-up after playing a key role in City's FA Cup and Premier League triumphs in 2011 and 2012. He was then restricted to just nine league appearances over the following two seasons.

Richards continued: "It makes it difficult because next year is the Euros. If you go to Man City and find yourself only playing 10 games and someone [else] has a really good season that player is going to play for England. Things can change."

Richards will be keen to keep Delph at Villa after joining the Birmingham club this summer, and will hope to help the Villans improve on last season when they narrowly avoided relegation.