Having arrived at Manchester City from Leicester City last summer, Riyad Mahrez had a good start to his life at the Etihad.
The Algeria international has made 10 starts in the Premier League and all of them were in 2018.
In this calendar year, he has played only 24 minutes in the league, out of which two minutes were against Arsenal and 22 minutes came in his side’s 6-0 win over Chelsea.
It’s not that the 28-year-old is struggling with fitness or form as he has scored three goals and registered four assists in the five matches the winger has played in cup competitions in 2019.
Pep Guardiola admitted that he was ‘sad and sorry’ for not starting the former Foxes star and Le Buteur takes a look at his situation with his current employer.
In regards to the comments made by Manchester City manager last week, the Algerian outlet claims one might believe the technician’s comments, but they feel it’s a ‘bluff’ as he has studied the art of communication in order to avoid any controversies.
They further go on to suggest there is ‘something fishy’ behind Mahrez’s limited playing time of late, which has seen him have to settle for a place on the bench.
The report claims the attacker has never experienced a situation like this before in his career because Mahrez is a competitor, who wants to play each and every game, including friendlies.
Being marginalised at City affects the wideman, but he’s left with no choice other than to face the current situation with patience. ‘It’s a price to pay’ for playing for a club like Manchester City which has a manager like Guardiola.
