MICAH RICHARDS says he has a “bone to pick” with Liam Rosenior over an interview he gave nearly 20 years ago.
New Chelsea manager Rosenior made a dream start on Saturday night as his side thrashed Charlton in the FA Cup.
And Richards discussed the 5-1 victory alongside Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer on The Rest is Football podcast.
But before they got into the nitty-gritty, Richards called out Rosenior – a fellow right-back – for his prior comments about a potential England call-up.
Richards said: “I’ve got a bone to pick with Rosenior. Way back when, when I made my debut for England at 18, 19 and I was in the team, he did an interview.
“In the interview he said something like, ‘When I see the people playing for England now, I don’t think I’m that far away’, suggesting he should be playing ahead of me! And I was like, ‘What?!’.
“When I’m doing BBC or Sky or CBS I’m going to ask him about that because it stuck with me.”
Richards appears to be referencing comments Rosenior made when he was at Reading in 2008.
The Blues head coach, now 41, name-dropped his Three Lions rival when pleading his case in the media.
He said: “I have only just turned 23 and I want to play for my country.
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“I look at Curtis Davies and Micah Richards, who I played with in the Under-21s, and Nicky Shorey has also got in the England squad because of his performances at club level.
“I was unable to do that because I wasn’t playing, but I have always been confident in my ability and confident that if I got a chance I would make an impact.”
Rosenior never got that England call-up as his international career peaked with seven appearances for the Under-21s.
Richards was a hotshot teenager on the England scene but still only managed 13 caps before his playing days petered out.
The former Manchester City star shared more thoughts on Rosenior’s Chelsea appointment, saying: “The only worry is, what do Chelsea want from him?
“If their plan is to get top four and challenge for a trophy, I think he will do really well.”
