Roberto Mancini: 'Micah Richards must improve concentration'

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini believes that defender Micah Richards must cut out the lapses in concentration if he is to force his way into Fabio Capello's England squad.

The 23-year-old has been overlooked by Capello on numerous occasions over the last 12 months, with Glen Johnson, Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Kyle Walker all preferred in the right-back role.

His club manager Mancini has insisted that Richards has all the potential to be "top full-back", but also feels that improvement is needed.

"Sometimes, Micah's body is on the pitch, but his mind is left at home," said Mancini. "For this, he can improve - if he can remember to pick up his brain. I say this because I love Micah, like I love all of the players.

"But Micah is still young. In the last year he has improved a lot as a player but I think he needs to improve more. He has good quality but sometimes Micah thinks he can play at 50 per cent.

"If Micah plays to 100 per cent, he can become one of the top full-backs in Europe."

Richards has earned 12 caps for the national team since making his debut against Holland in 2006.