Micah Richards has stated that a player he played alongside at Manchester City is one of the “most underrated” stars who has ever competed in the Premier League.
City fans have been blessed to see some of the biggest names in world football play at the Etihad Stadium over the last 15 years, but some have received more credit than others.
Sam Allardyce thinks Ederson has been underrated throughout his time at Man City, while Joleon Lescott would throw Gareth Barry into that group after all he has done for the Premier League teams he has played with.
Richards has produced another name, with the pundit stating that the defender may even be one of the most overlooked stars in Premier League history.
Micah Richards working as a pundit for a Premier League clash between Manchester City and Bournemouth.
Photo by Lee Parker – CameraSport via Getty Images
Micah Richards thinks Gael Clichy was very underrated
Gael Clichy joined Man City during the summer of 2011, having spent eight years at Arsenal, where he won his first Premier League title.
The French star would go on to win two more at the Etihad Stadium, where he would end his time having made 203 appearances for the Manchester club, producing three goals and 13 assists.
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Clichy was part of Pep Guardiola’s first starting XI, but the legendary coach would move the left-back on after one season, although the Man City star is credited with changing the former defender’s view of the game.
The 40-year-old has one of the highest Premier League appearance records of every French player to have played in the English top flight, and when quizzed about this, Richards stated that he believes the former City star is very underrated.
“You know, Gael is one of the most underrated players in the Premier League. He won the Premier League, I think when he was 17, 18 at Arsenal. But I never thought he got the credit he deserved,” the pundit said on The Rest Is Football.
“He came to Manchester City, technically, he was amazing. He was the fittest man ever. I weighed like 95kg, 200kg on a bad day.
“He used to weigh like 65kg. He was only slight, but he was an amazing defender for Manchester City. He was really good when we won the league that year.
“Him and Kolarov sort of shared it out. But consistency, he might never be the best player on a pitch, but he was never the worst ever. So consistent.”
Where does Gael Clichy rank amongst the best left-backs in Premier League history
When it comes to left-backs in Premier League history, not many will argue that Ashley Cole is the greatest to have ever competed in the English top flight.
Names that normally follow the former Chelsea and Arsenal star are Andy Robertson, Denis Irwin, and Nigel Winterburn, to name a few.
Having won three Premier League titles and made over 400 appearances, Clichy would fall somewhere in the top 10, as you could rank the French star over the likes of Leighton Baines and John Arne Riise.
Whether Clichy is underrated is hard to tell, but seeing as the former Man City star is not often talked about, considering he has been one of the best ever in his position in the Premier League, that is a sign that Richards’ claim is somewhat true.