Micah Richards, the Manchester City defender, has urged Mark Hughes, his manager, to stop playing him at centre half after conceding that he is struggling to cope with the demands of the position.

Richards enjoyed a meteoric rise to his career, his performances at right back for City earning him a regular place in the England team under Steve McClaren, but the 20-year-old’s form has dipped badly this season in the centre of defence.

For all his physical attributes, Richards’s poor reading of the game and lack of positional awareness are reasons that he has been routinely overlooked by Fabio Capello, McClaren’s successor as England manager, and have contributed to City letting in 30 goals in 20 matches in the Barclays Premier League.

Neither he nor Richard Dunne, with whom he has formed an unconvincing central-defensive partnership, have been helped by a lack of protection from midfield, but Richards is focused on his own role.

“For now I am more suited to playing at right back,” Richards said. “I would like a stint of 15 or 20 games consecutively at right back and show Mark Hughes and Fabio Capello what I can do. I don’t want to say to the manager, ‘I must play right back,’ but I would like to go back to playing in that position because I think I have produced my best most consistently in that role.”

Richards’s apparent crisis of confidence is only likely to strengthen Hughes’s desire to sign a new centre half, with Kolo Touré, of Arsenal, his main target. Alex and Joleon Lescott, the Chelsea and Everton defenders respectively, are alternatives.

“I think me and Dunney had a good record last season, but it has not been the same this season,” Richards said. “I know some people have been critical of my performances and have had a dig, but I am staying positive.

“I am not the finished article, I have lots to learn and I would be a fool to think anything else. I think we do need more defenders in the club and I am sure the boss will bring some in during this month.”