EXCLUSIVE: Micah Richards emphasizes on change in mentality at Aston Villa as he recalls incident from season club was relegated after what one Villa teammate said on team bus before facing Man City

Micah Richards has shared what one unnamed Aston Villa teammate said before a game against Manchester City which left him absolutely stunned.

Micah Richards will not be particularly fondly remembered for his time at Aston Villa. The defender made just 31 appearances for the club in all competitions, and did not feature once in his final two seasons before his contract expired.

It is almost easy to forget now, but the Villans were in a real mess when he arrived. His first season at the club ended in relegation. And it was only in his final season on the books where they secured promotion to the Premier League again.

Certainly, there were some dark days during that first campaign in particular. And when they went to the Etihad Stadium in early March, Villa found themselves eight points adrift at the bottom of the table. They had lost their previous three games and conceded 11 goals in the process.

Nevertheless, speaking on The Rest Is Football, Richards noted that he was stunned by what one Villa teammate said in the build-up to the game against City.

He said: “Going to the Etihad with Villa, I remember one player saying on the coach, I can’t tell you who it was, but he said I will take 4-0 now. I swear to God! I was like what sort of mentality is this?”

Fans won’t be shocked by pundit’s comments about truly miserable season

That particular player would have been happy with the result. Manchester City scored four times in 18 minutes at the start of the second-half to secure a 4-0 win.

Villa would go on to pick up one more point that season as they capitulated entirely.

Manchester City meanwhile, would not even be at their best that year. At that stage, they were 10 points behind Leicester City. And of course, the miracle would indeed go on to happen.

So it is even more alarming that the Villa players were so resigned to defeat. But given how dreadful that season was, it is likely that their fans will be a lot less surprised by the comments than Richards was at the time.

Looking back at how bad it was for the club on and off the pitch, one can only be truly appreciate how all that has changed at Aston Villa at the moment following a better management off the pitch and Unai Emery’s subsequent arrival at the club.