Micah Richards admitted his Aston Villa captain Fabian Delph has asked about life at Manchester City after being linked with a move to the Etihad Stadium.
Richards, 27, signed for Villa from City this summer having struggled to force his way into first-team plans following Sheikh Mansour’s takeover of the Manchester outfit in 2008.
The England international was forced to find first-team football on loan at Fiorentina last season before making the switch to Villa and has been giving advice to Delph with City reportedly looking to snap the 25-year-old up this summer.
"Every player wants to play at the highest level," said Richards.
"If he’s going to be playing Champions League, I don’t know, but if he’s going there to be a squad player, then no."
Should City decide to sign Delph - who only signed a new Villa contract last season - he would be following in the footsteps of Gareth Barry and James Milner to swap Villa Park for the Etihad.
However, even if City manager Manuel Pellegrini can give assurances of playing time, Richards has warned Delph to be wary, using Milner's versatility as an example.
"James Milner has played six or seven positions and still wanted to leave," he added.
"So if he gets assurances he’s going to play then the decision is his. I wouldn’t say don’t go to Manchester City, because if he’s playing well he could play.
"It’s just being given that chance. If he [Pellegrini] is going to give him the chance to play then it’s hard to turn down the chance of playing Champions League football.
"To be fair he has asked me what I think about the situation. I told him I can’t comment to be honest.
"I don’t want to say go there and then he [Pellegrini] doesn’t play him - he’ll be ringing me up afterwards."
Delph played an invaluable role in Villa’s Premier League survival last season and has since established himself in Roy Hodgson's England side. The 25-year-old's energy and drive, in particular, are desirable attributes for an aging City side.
In fact, of players to attempt more than 50 dribbles in the Premier League last season, only City midfielder Yaya Toure (83.6%) had a better success rate than Delph (82.4%).
For more stats on Fabian Delph, click here to view his WhoScored player page
