Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards has urged his old side to bring Daniel Sturridge back to the club on a free transfer. Richards believes his friend and one-time team-mate could still do a job at the top level of the Premier League. Sturridge is currently without a club and has been since leaving Turkish side Trabzonspor in March after being handed a four-month ban for breaching betting rules. The 31-year-old started his career at City before going on to play for Chelsea, Bolton Wanderers (loan), Liverpool and West Bromwich Albion (loan), as well as England. Richards said: "It would have been easy for Daniel to walk away from the game, but he's still hungry. He went to Turkey last year to get away from all of that talk about him being injury-prone and get some games under his belt, to show he can stay fit. He was doing well with Trabzonspor and was enjoying it before he got hit by a ban for breaching betting rules. "That was another blow on top of everything else, but I still speak to him a lot and he dealt with it pretty well, although you can never be sure how someone else is feeling, no matter how well you know them. Right now, there's plenty to take his mind off his search for a club. He's about to become a dad and is back in the UK with his partner, waiting for the baby to arrive. "When he plays football again it might be with another team abroad, but I can't help but think that there are several clubs in the Premier League who are missing a trick by not signing him. I would include City in that, just to fill in while Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus are injured. Even if he was half-fit, he would score goals in that side."
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