Micah Richards' reaction to Man Utd star's performance 'broke the golden rule of punditry'

Micah Richards has become one of the leading football pundits in the UK in recent years, and that has not stopped him from criticising some of his former team-mates

Sky Sports and BBC pundit Micah Richards has no qualms about critiquing his former team-mates on television, despite the so-called 'golden rule of punditry'.

Richards, 36, transitioned into punditry in 2019 after injuries forced him to retire from football at the age of 31 years old. He has become one of the sport's favourite personalities, appearing for CBS Sport and the BBC, as well as Sky Sports.

As many of his former colleagues are still active in the Premier League, he is often in a tricky spot as a pundit. Moreover, with perennially critical colleagues such as Roy Keane, Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville, there will always be the temptation of trying to outdo the Liverpool and Manchester United legends in terms of criticism.

Yet, Richards recognises the fact that he is still relatively fresh out of the dressing room in comparison with his older colleagues. He has spent the last few seasons finding the right balance in regards to remaining objective but not stabbing his former team-mates in the back.

In an interview with the Manchester Evening News while promoting the new season of hit sports show 'A League of Their Own', Richards was asked if he has ever been confronted by a former team-mate after critiquing them in the studio. With a smile, he remembered a time where he had to slam the performance of his ex-England colleague Ashley Young.

At the time, Young, who currently plays for Everton, had recently transitioned from a winger to a full-back at United and was finding it hard to adapt to the new position. Reflecting on a challenging performance by his former team-mate, Richards said: "I remember, a few years ago, Ashley Young had an absolute stinker of a game, but I am good mates with him.

"He had sort of gone into the full-back role when he had played in midfield or even as a striker or a No.10. So I sort of felt for him playing as a full-back, especially when you are not as agile as you used to be, or maybe you're not quite as quick and you've lost a yard of pace.

"What I did was I put myself in that position. When I was criticising, I was saying stuff like, 'and I have made that mistake too', or, 'I'd have not done this or not done that'.

"It's a way of criticising people without making it personal. We all make mistakes and so many people basically speak like they have never made a mistake in football, when we make mistakes every single week.

"So it is difficult when it is someone who you know, but you have to do your job at the end of the day, because that's what you are paid for, it's your opinion."

Match of the Day pundit Richards' approach is different to that of Sky Sports colleagues Keane, Carragher and Neville, who have all routinely slated a player's display while on camera. But that is not, and will likely never be, Richards' style as a pundit.

He added: "I have been in that situation, I am fresher out of the dressing room and if you look at the senior pros, they are 15 or 20 years out of the dressing room. Things have changed. It used to be tough love back in the days when I was first coming through.

"Now, players are a lot more sensitive, but they are also open and honest. They are like ‘As long as you be fair and honest, they don’t mind’. Up to now, I don’t think I have ever said anything to upset anybody and if I have, it would be purely on football matters and nothing ever personal.”

Season 19 of A League of Their Own is on Sky Max and Sky Showcase every Thursday from 9pm

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