Micah Richards has signed a new five-and-a-half-year contract at Manchester City.

The England defender, 19, still had more than three years to run on his previous deal but the club were desperate to secure the long-term future of one of the country's brightest prospects.

He is now tied to the club until the summer of 2013 on what is believed to be greatly-improved terms.

Richards has forged an impressive partnership with Richard Dunne at the heart of the City defence this season and has previously been linked with moves to Arsenal, Chelsea and even Manchester United.

"I've always wanted to be at this club and signing this five-and-a-half-year contract shows that," he told MCFCTV.com

"It puts all the speculation to bed. I can concentrate on the rest of the season now."

He added: "The manager has been great. We're going to fight for Europe, which is a massive achievement.

"I try to put in 100% every match and hopefully I can keep playing that way and playing for my country as well."

Richards has won 11 caps and scored one international goal.

City boss Sven-Goran Eriksson said: "This is fantastic news.

"It shows we are building for the future by securing one of our most talented players on a longest-term contract."

Chief executive Alistair Mackintosh added: "Our strategy is to sign our top young stars on long-term deals.

"To the best of my knowledge, a five-and-a-half-year deal is the longest in our history.

"The manager's delighted, (owner) Dr Thaksin's delighted and I'm personally delighted."