Forgotten man Micah Richards ‘to retire at 30’ after not playing for Aston Villa since 2016
Ex-England international is expected to hang up his boots after failing to recover from long-term knee injuries
MICAH RICHARDS is set to retire at the end of the season after failing to recover from long-term knee injuries, aged 30.
The former England international has not made an appearance for Aston Villa's first-team since October 2016.
And the claim that he will leave Villa Park when his contract expires in June.
Richards has failed to work his way into Dean Smith's squad because of an ongoing meniscus problem in his right knee.
In October, the Villa boss said: "Micah has not played for a long time so he's not near fitness to be in contention at the moment.
"He's been on a special programme, the training minutes he hasn't had so far. We'll see how his body adapts as we go."
He penned a four-year deal with the Villans in 2015 and the claimed he pockets £35,000-a-week.
Villa, who are tenth in the Championship after 29 games, are not expected to offer him a new deal.
Richards started his career with Manchester City's academy and he made his senior club debut at the age of 17.
He became the youngest defender to play for England at the age of 18 and he went on to make 13 international appearances.
MOST READ IN SPORT
Richards won the Premier Legaue title and the FA Cup with the Blues before he joined Fiorentina on loan in 2015.
But he has not played for Villa in 836 days - since he was used in a 1-1 draw with Wolves on October 15, 2016.
