Aston Villa confirmed on Saturday that Micah Richards had left the club after four years. Mile Jedinak, Alan Hutton, Tommy Elphick, Albert Adomah, Glenn Whelan, Ritchie De Laet and Mark Bunn were also released. Richards joined Villa from Manchester City in July 2015 and made 31 appearances in all competitions. The 30-year-old’s last outing for the Midlands outfit came against Wolverhampton Wanderers on October 15, 2016 – two-and-a-half years ago.

The centre-back has struggled with an ongoing knee injury that frequently swells up and stops Richards from playing competitive football. The England international last made the Villa matchday squad against Middlesbrough (League Cup) on September 19. 2017 and hasn’t been seen ever since. His meniscus problem threatens to cut his career short too.

Richards can’t play regular football without his knee swelling up, so he may struggle to attract suitors this summer. The experienced defender may have to hang up his boots as he’s been unable to play in nearly three years, but Richards admitted in February that he was “fully satisfied” with how his career turned out regardless.

He won two Premier League titles, one FA Cup and one League Cup at Manchester City, making 246 appearances in all competitions for the Sky Blues before he joined Villa. Richards will be highly-regarded among City fans but won’t have many from the Midlands.

Stats from Transfermarkt.