TOURE WANTS TO MAKE MICAH A STAR

Manchester City captain Kolo Toure is keen to guide Micah Richards back to top form.




A shoulder injury kept the youngster out of Wednesday night's Carling Cup win over Fulham but his place would have been under threat anyway following a below-par performance against Manchester United last weekend.



Once good enough to become England's youngest defender when he was elevated to senior honours by Steve McClaren, Richards has so far failed to impress Fabio Capello, who is dubious about the 21-year-old's positional sense.



Capello would not have been too impressed by Richards' failure to pick up Michael Owen for the goal that ultimately condemned City to an agonising stoppage-time defeat at Old Trafford.



Yet Toure feels he can help.



"It is really important to me that I help him get back," said Toure.



"Micah is a great player and one day will be one of the very best defenders in England.



"He is a great lad, who listens to everything you say. We talk at training about different situations."



It is a fair bet that Owen's matchwinner will crop up, given Richards' failure to keep tabs on the England striker.



Not that Toure feels his young team-mate should be shouldering all the responsibility.



"It wasn't just Micah," stressed the former Arsenal defender.



"As a team we let in a few easy goals, so we all need to take the blame.



"Micah is a young player who is learning. When I was 21 I made a lot of mistakes as well."



Nevertheless, Hughes will face a selection dilemma if Richards is fit for Monday's encounter with West Ham as Pablo Zabaleta performed creditably in the right-back role against Fulham in midweek.



The South American was one of the more consistent members of the City squad following his arrival from Espanyol last term.



But he recognises the battle for places has intensified following the summer arrival of so many experienced players.



"I was happy to be given an opportunity to show my quality," Zabaleta told mcfc.co.uk.



"It's not easy being on the bench, everyone wants to play but it's so difficult - there are so many quality players. You need to work hard every day to get your opportunity."



City are targetting a top-four spot and will look to return to winning ways against the Hammers after losing their 100 per cent record at Old Trafford.



Roque Santa Cruz and Michael Johnson put themselves in contention after a reserve-team outing against Wrexham on Wednesday, while Stephen Ireland will be monitored after being released from hospital on Thursday morning after complaining of dizziness during the Fulham encounter.



"West Ham is a big game for us to win after the derby result," said Zabaleta.



"It is an opportunity for three points to keep us high in the table.



"It's not impossible to finish in the top four, but it's not easy - the Premier League is very combative.



"We have good quality players, but we need to play very well to be in the top four."