Richards: I would love Tevez return

DEFENDER Micah Richards says Manchester City need to rediscover their goalscoring touch if they are to win the Barclays Premier League — and hopes Carlos Tevez will soon return to make a difference.

Sunday's disappointing 1-0 defeat to Swansea saw City surrender top spot for the first time since October 15, as rivals Manchester United secured a 2-0 win over West Brom.

It was Swansea's 11th clean sheet, but also marked City's second consecutive failure to find the net following the midweek Europa League defeat to Sporting Lisbon.

England right-back Richards, who had a late equaliser ruled out for offside, admits Roberto Mancini's side must rectify their attacking woes, and he said: “We need to go back and see where we went wrong and why we are not scoring as many goals as we used to.”

One man who could be the answer to City's search for goals is Tevez, who is closing in on a return to first-team action, having not played since his infamous refusal to warm-up at Bayern Munich in September.

The Argentinian spent several months away from the club but is now back in training having patched up his relationship with Mancini, and the manager has said he is around 10 days away from being available for selection.

"I have always been a big fan of Tevez, I love him," said Richards.

"There were games last season where he carried us on his own and in these sort of games he would get a 1-0 win for us.

“It's up to the manager ultimately but I would love to see him back."