Micah Richards has revealed he was left devastated by a decision made by Manchester City that has already cost Pep Guardiola.
On Sunday afternoon, City were held to a dramatic 4-4 draw at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea after a late penalty from Cole Palmer.
As a result of the draw, Guardiola’s men head into the latest international break with a narrow one-point lead over second-placed Liverpool.
Speaking on the latest episode of The Rest Is Football podcast, Richards revealed that City’s decision to sell Palmer left him gutted.
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When asked by co-presenter Gary Lineker if City have missed a trick by selling Palmer, Richards said: “It’s a good question because I would have never sold him, just because I knew what he could do. The thing is with Manchester City, they produce so many good players and obviously, they buy top players too, so you can’t have everyone.
“If you can get £42m for someone that didn’t play that many games... It’s the courage I like. Can you remember a couple of weeks ago when he and (Raheem) Sterling were fighting over a penalty and he was like no, I am taking this. To take a penalty in the 95th minute. I am gutted.”
The former City defender continued: “I think it was right for him because he is not going to a team that isn’t going to challenge, he has got a great manager and he’s at a club that is going to spend a lot of money. He’s becoming the main man. He was never going to be the main man at Manchester City.
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“We have talked so much about (Phil) Foden and if he can become that and it’s taken him a while and he’s dipped in form a little bit - he played well yesterday. But when you have Foden, (Jeremy) Doku, (Jack) Grealish, Bernardo Silva and (Julian) Alvarez, he has to go and play.
“I am gutted and devastated that he is not a Manchester City player, but I am happy he is doing so well.”
Featured Image Credit: Sky Sports/GettyTopics: Chelsea, Football, Manchester City, Micah Richards, Pep Guardiola, Cole Palmer