The 25-year-old arrived at the Stadium of Light from Manchester United in July 2007 as a winger and spent much of the early part of the campaign which has just ended in central midfield. However, as the season drew to a close, he was once again asked to play at full-back - a position Bruce believes could be his best - and thrived there. There have been suggestions Richardson would look to leave Wearside this summer in the search for a chance to line up in his favoured position, although he insists that will not be the case as he opens talks over a new deal with 12 months remaining on his existing contract. He told the Journal: "I'm enjoying my football, really enjoying it. Over the last eight weeks I have found good form there and I have been happy with myself and the way I have been playing there. We will see what happens there. I will go away, keep myself in decent shape and come back from pre-season and crack on from there. "Will I come back being a left-back in my own head? If that's what the gaffer wants, I'm honestly happy to do that. Anywhere on the pitch, I am happy to play football and if the manager rates you in a certain position, then you can't take that lightly. It's difficult to get in our team with the quality of players we have got, so I will just play wherever the manager wants me to."
