JOLEON LESCOTT believes Manchester City teammate Micah Richards has the ability to become the best right-back in the world.
Richards produced a man-of-the-match display in Saturday’s 3-1 win over Newcastle United at the Etihad Stadium.
A constant threat with his overlapping bursts, Richards scored City’s crucial second and then played a pivotal role in a match-sealing second penalty when he was bundled over by Hatem Ben Arfa.
Lescott has no doubts over the 23-year-old’s ability.
“Micah has been in immense form all season,” the City defender said.
“His confidence is really high.
“He is in the best form of his career and has the world at his feet. I would say he is the best right-back in the league just now. If he continues this form he will be the best in the world.”
They might have just posted eye-watering losses of £194.9million, and they might have run out of chips to serve in the concourses at half-time, but on the field, City look more like champions with every passing week.
Yet again they scored three times, taking their overall tally to 42 in 12 games, of which they have won 11, a new record.
In Jose Mourinho’s first season as Chelsea manager, the one Sir Alex Ferguson talks of as being when the bar was raised significantly for Manchester United, the Londoners reached the same stage with five fewer points and 25 fewer goals.
The statistics are almost outrageous, so superior are they to anything that has gone before.
Yet City manager Roberto Mancini is refusing to get carried away.
He was not interested in watching United’s game at Swansea on Saturday night, so sure was he the Red Devils were going to win.
All he is interested in is the next fixture, which just happens to be a very important one, in Naples tomorrow.
“We don’t have pressure,” he said.
“We know that the season is long and probably we will arrive at a moment when we lose.
“Every three days we have a match at the moment and December and January is going to be a crucial time. Winning then will be really important.”
City won the match via a Mario Balotelli penalty given for handball by Ryan Taylor.
Richards then scored his goal before Sergio Aguero tucked away the second spot-kick awarded for the foul on the right-back.
Ex-Everton player Dan Gosling netted a consolation for Newcastle.
