PLAYER PROFILE

Kieran Richardson

Position: Midfield

Height: 5'7

Weight: 11st 3lbs

Date of Birth: 1984-10-21 Greenwich, England

Kieran Richardson

Keiran Richardson was always going to have a difficult time forcing his way into the first-team at Old Trafford. In a situation where your favoured position is left-wing and your main competitor for the role is Ryan Giggs, many players would move on and try their luck at another club.

Having been a part of West Ham United's youth academy, Richardson made the move to Old Trafford as a YTS. An exciting and skillful left-winger, he became the latest in a long line of players attempting to dislodge Giggs from his first-team position.

He made his debut for United in October against Greek side Olympiakos in the Champions League. A month later he scored his first goal for the club in the League Cup win over Leicester City at Old Trafford. He made several more appearances that season, mostly as a sub but failed to hold down a regular place in the first-team squad.

Having struggled to establish himself the previous season, the next season was even more frustrating for Richardson, making just 3 first appearances for the Reds in the League Cup and FA Cup.

The following season saw a change in fortunes for Richardson. He was sent out on-loan to fellow Premiership side West Bromwich Albion, as they looked to avoid relegation to the Football League. He proved an instant success at the Hawthorns and became a fans favourite scoring 3 goals in his 12 game spell, including the second goal in the 2-0 win on the final day of the season that kept the club in the Premiership.

Things got even better for Richardson as he was given a call-up to the Sven Goran Eriksson's England squad for the post-season tour of the USA. His debut proved to be one of the highlights of his career so far, scoring two superb free-kicks against the host nation.

Upon his return to Old Trafford the following season, Richardson turned down the chance to return to West Brom on a season long loan, deciding to fight for his place at United. However, despite some prelonged spells in the first-team, he still struggled to establish himself and was often asked to fill in at left-back in the absence of the injured Gabriel Heinze.

2006/07 was another season of missed opportunities for Richardson as he failed to take advantage of his first team chances, despite a couple of goals, and he ended it playing for England Under-21s two years after making his breakthrough into the full international squad.

Such disappointment led to his eventual exit from Old Trafford. He joined Roy Keane's Sunderland side for an undisclosed fee in July 2007, just two years after being criticised by the former United man for his poor performance during a game at Middlesbrough.