Alan Shearer says Steve Bruce isn't happy after hearing what Micah Richards said about Aston Villa recently.

Shearer has been speaking on The Rest Is Football and claims the former Aston Villa boss phoned him last week about something Micah Richards said recently.

Richards enjoyed a spell at Villa Park between 2015 and 2019 before eventually hanging up his boots during his time in the Midlands.

The former defender recently claimed that the arrival of John Terry effectively ended his playing career at Aston Villa.

"He (Bruce) did tell me he was going to play me (that season),' he told the Top 10 podcast. "And we signed John Terry.

"So, it was going to be me on the right of the three, John Terry and James Chester.

"JT basically came to Villa and said 'I'm not playing in a three'. So Bruce pulls me and he says 'well, I've got to play JT' and he had James Chester at Hull so I knew the writing was on the wall then." as quoted by The Daily Mail.

But Bruce has hit back at Richards' claim and told Shearer that the decision was solely down to the former defender's injury issues.

He said: "Hey Micah. I have a bone to pick with you. Someone rang me this week and told me to have a word with you. Steve Bruce!

"He said to me do me a favour and tell Micah he's talking s--. He said the story that he told on the previous one about when John Terry came in and he had to go and play in a three because he couldn't play.

"He said the reason he left you out, he says you were having a nightmare! He said you were so bad at right-back he just couldn't play you. Your knee was knackered."

The former Manchester City missed 17 games with a knee injury during the 2016/17 campaign and wasn't the same player after he returned.