Richards eyes England return with decent Man City performances

Micah Richards is hoping for a string of eye-catching performances for Manchester City in order to force his way back into the England set-up.Richards has already done enough to impress England U21 coach Stuart Pearce, who has named him in the squad to face Portugal and Lithuania in European Championship qualifying matches next month.Those two fixtures clash with the senior side's next two games but Richards will be looking for a promotion to Capello's squad following fellow defender Wes Brown's surprise retirement."I was in the 30-man squad last time and didn't make the 23 but Wes has retired now so hopefully there is a spot there for me," said Richards.Capello's trusted assistant Franco Baldini was at Eastlands running a watchful eye over Richards and five other members of Mancini's starting line-up who England could call upon."I have worked on my concentration because sometimes I have tended to switch off a little bit," Richards said."That is when the danger comes. But it is a weakness the manager is trying to help me put right."He keeps telling me I have the attributes to be one of the best players in England and that I just need to focus on being aware and watching the players around me."If I can improve that, hopefully I will reach the levels he suggests."
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