Mahrez leaves Manchester City pre-season tour on crutches

Riyad Mahrez has returned to Manchester wearing a protective boot on his left ankle, reports The Daily Telegraph.

Manchester City paid a club-record £60m fee to prise Mahrez away from Leicester earlier this summer but he is now a serious doubt for the start of the season.

Mahrez was forced off midway through the first half of City’s 3-2 win over Bayern Munich in the final match of their three-game pre-season tour of the US.

The 27-year-old tried to continue following the incident, which occurred in the opening five minutes, but was unable to continue and eventually subbed off after 27 minutes on the clock.

City play Chelsea in the Community Shield on Sunday and Mahrez has emerged as an early doubt for Pep Guardiola’s side, who are already set to be without Raheem Sterling.

The England international is enjoying an extended break following his exploits at the 2018 World Cup, meaning Bernardo Silva looks set to feature on the right for City.

Silva cut short his summer to return to City earlier and work on his fitness ahead of his second season at the club.

The 23-year-old made 35 league appearances for City last season but only 15 of those came as starts. Despite a lack of continuity, he still managed a direct hand in 10 goals (six goals, four assists).