Riyad Mahrez Says He Wants to Fight for Manchester City Place Amid Exit Rumours

Manchester City winger Riyad Mahrez has said he is ready to fight for a starting spot at the club following his heroics on Sunday against Brighton & Hove Albion. 

The Algeria international made a surprise start in the match, with City needing three points to guarantee the Premier League title ahead of Liverpool. Mahrez set up Aymeric Laporte's goal to put City 2-1 ahead before he netted the third himself in a 4-1 win.

Following his transfer from Leicester City last summer, Mahrez has endured an inconsistent first season at the Etihad Stadium, prompting some speculation about his future. The winger has said he doesn't want to go anywhere, per Jonathan Smith of ESPN FC:

"It's not easy to come to a team who are settled and have the players who play. That squad did everything last season.

"I knew it wouldn't be easy in my first year but I'm very confident in myself and have no doubts about my quality. I knew that when I had my chance I'd take it. I scored at Brighton and helped the team.

"I'm very happy here. I'm not going somewhere else because I don't play. It's part of the game. I need to be strong, stay strong. It's part of my personality, I never hide away from things."

The former Leicester man posted the following after adding the 2018-19 title to the one he won in 2015-16:

Football journalist Nick Ames noted that Mahrez has come up with big moments in title races previously:

Jack Gaughan of the Daily Mail reported in April that the winger was unhappy at City and was ready to leave, but any prospect of a sale was dismissed by Guardiola.

Overall, the season has been a challenging one for Mahrez. When he has been handed chances he's not been able to completely convince, while for long spells of the campaign his last-gasp penalty miss in the 0-0 draw at Liverpool looked likely to be decisive in the Reds' favour.

Even against Brighton, he struggled to get into the game initially, with Guardiola deciding to play him on the left flank. After Brighton went a goal ahead, he was shifted back into his preferred berth on the right and played to a much higher standard.

Gaughan praised the 28-year-old's willingness to work hard for the team too:

Competition is fierce in the wide areas for City. On the right flank, Guardiola has used Raheem Sterling, Bernardo Silva and Mahrez this season, while Leroy Sane can be devastating on the left.

Mahrez will be hoping that after a debut term in Manchester he can kick on next season, although it wouldn't be a big surprise if City were to add more options in the final third. Either way, after producing a fine display at Brighton, the Algerian should have renewed belief he belongs in such a high-calibre squad.