Mark Hughes insists Micah Richards must raise his game or miss World Cup

Richards, dropped by Manchester City manager Hughes following his performance during the 4-3 defeat against Manchester United last month, returned to action in place of the injured Kolo Touré at Wigan last Sunday. But with the 21 year-old struggling to reproduce the form that earned him an England call-up at 18, Hughes admits that he must focus on his club displays.  Related ArticlesManchester City v Fulham: match previewFrank Lampard fears Manchester City threatRobinho suffers injury setbackBarcelona deny Robinho approachRIchards vows to reclaim City starting spotSport on televisionHughes said: "I think at times people forget how young Micah is and the fact that he's still learning his trade. 'He had a lot of success very early on in his career and sometimes for young players they feel that's how it's going to be all the time. 'But there is always going to be a time when people start looking at you with a more critical eye. That's what has happened to Micah at the moment. 'But he's working harder and he knows he's not the finished product. We recognise that he's a young player with great potential but is nowhere near where we know he can in terms of realising that potential. 'Micah needs to establish himself in our team and put in good performances over a long period of time. It seems the England squad, barring a few surprises at the end, looks pretty much set in stone."

Source: Telegraph