Aston Villa are under new management, and that will give beleaguered defender Micah Richards hope of sparking a revival at the club.

Under news boss Dean Smith, every Villa player will have a clean slate as he runs the rule over his new set of players in the hope they impress him enough to earn a place in the team.

The 30-year-old defender will be hoping this is the chance he needed to rebuild is flatlined career at Villa Park.

Richards trained on Monday with the first team in what was the new head coach’s first training session at the club.

The former Manchester City and England defender has reportedly been on a special training regime to build up his fitness. 

During the week two-years had passed since Richards last Championship appearance, having been a victim of persistent injury issues which have curtailed his career at Villa Park.

Back training, the defender is some way off a return to the first team, however.

But Smith has had his say on the 30-year-olds current status when he spoke to the Express and Star.

“Micah trained with us on Monday morning,” Smith revealed. 

“He’s not played for a long time, so he’s not near fitness to be in contention at all at the moment. But we’ll see how his fitness builds over the next month or two.

“He’s been on a special programme. We’ll see how his body adapts to training minutes as we go.”

Richards’ contract with the club runs until June 2019.

The Verdict

This is most definitely the last chance saloon for Micah Richards to revive what has been a nightmare time at Aston Villa.

Having been out of the first-team for over two years, the chances of him ever making a return are slim-to-none.

But under Dean Smith every player will have a part to play and a chance to impress, so why should Richards be any different?

He might be unfit and some way off a return to the first team, but that isn’t to say he won’t be able to overcome that obstacle.

It remains to be seen if Richards plays any part in life at Villa under Smith, but you’d imagine he will give it his best shot while he remains at the club.