It seems a long time since Richards was fighting for the Premier League title.
Understandably, Aston Villa were keen to wipe away the bad memories and start afresh this season, a drop down to the second tier offering an opportunity to reinvent themselves and begin with a clean slate.
After all, a grand total of 12 regular fixtures of arguably the most pathetic Premier League season of all time were shipped off in the summer, with the likes of Jolean Lescott, Kieran Richardson and Carlos Sanchez ushered out of the exit door without so much as a goodbye. It was probably for the best.
Yet while new owner Tony Xia has done a commendable job in attempting to refresh the squad with a number of new additions, some good, some distinctly average, one man remains at Villa Park who, in the eyes of many, should have been given the chop and the P45 like so many of his fellow under-performers.
After all, of Micah Richards’ 24 Premier League appearances last season, you could probably count the good performances on one hand. As such, the more recent of his two games this season came all the way back in October, in Bruce’s first game in charge.
A knee injury means the former England international will remain out of action until the New Year, according to the Birmingham Mail, but with James Chester justifying his addition at the back and Alan Hutton solid if unspectacular at right-back, can the 28-year-old earn himself a shot at redemption?
The substandard form of Tommy Elphick might offer some hope but, on the whole, Villa fans are not particularly thrilled about the prospect of seeing Richards in claret and blue again.
You know, I completely forgot Micah Richards was a thing #AVFC
— Matt Villan (@dvtavfc) December 16, 2016
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