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ESPNsoccernet: Transfers | |
Roberto Mancini insists Micah Richards will not be sold this summer but has told the Manchester City defender he must improve his concentration levels.
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Richards, 22, has been linked with a possible transfer to Tottenham this summer as City have further strengthened their defensive options with the signing of the versatile Jerome Boateng.
Richards was heralded as City's great defensive hope following his emergence from the club's academy, and became England's youngest ever defender when making his international debut in November 2006, but his development has stalled.
Mancini is not ready to give up on Richards but says he must improve his mental attributes if he is to secure a regular place in the City side.
"Micah is part of my plans," Mancini told the Manchester Evening News. "He's played here for four or five years, and I think that he must improve.
"He has everything to do his job, but sometimes his concentration lets him down. Sometimes, his body is on the pitch, but his head is not. But I think that if we work on him, he will improve.
"You have to remember that he is only young. It is better for him that we work to improve every day, because he has everything he needs to become a strong player."