The Blues defender, who recently signed a new four-year deal tying him to City until 2015, felt a slight twinge in his hamstring and headed home for a scan.
Whilst his England colleagues, including Joe Hart, James Milner, Gareth Barry and Adam Johnson, prepared for the Euro Championship qualifier with Wales, Richards did some light training at Carrington.
“I felt a bit of tightness in the hamstring and it is not something I want to take any chances with,” he reported.
“I missed some games last season with a similar problem and thought it best to be as cautious as possible. I have had the injury looked at and I am confident I will be available for the Wigan game at the weekend.
“No one wants to miss a minute of the season after the start we have had. It is only three games and we are not getting carried away. Our feet are firmly on the ground but we want to keep going. We have played some magical stuff so far.”
Richards also has positive reports of former skipper Kolo Toure who is back training after his six month ban.
“Kolo looks fresh and in the kind of form that made him such an awesome central defender when Arsenal were at the top of their game,” he said.
“Training has gone to another level this season. There is such competition for places and we all want to be a part of the team that hopefully builds on the FA Cup success.”
