Mahrez regrets behaviour after failed Manchester City move

Riyad Mahrez admits he regrets the way he behaved after seeing a move to Manchester City fall through in the January transfer window.

The Algeria international was absent for two Leicester City matches after missing out on joining the Premier League leaders, who reportedly made a £60million offer on deadline day two months ago.

Mahrez denied going on strike after the disappointment of the failed move, but concedes he should have handled things better when he took a leave of absence from the Leicester squad.

"I was away from here because I needed some time to think, it was a difficult situation," he told Sky Sports News.

"Manchester City is a good move for everyone but it is the past. It is behind me. If we start talking about this it's like coming back to the transfer window and now I'm moving forward, trying to give my best for the team.

"You'll always have regrets but at that time I thought it was the best thing to do.

"It was difficult, I've always been in contact with the club. The club handled it very well. When the team-mates and the club were behind me it was okay, it was very easy to come back here."

Mahrez returned to action in Leicester's 5-1 defeat to Pep Guardiola's side on February 10 and has played in all three matches since, including the 1-1 draw with Bournemouth last Saturday, in which he scored a dramatic late free-kick.

The 27-year-old, who had a post put up on his official Facebook page this week announcing his retirement after his account was hacked, says he will not think about his long-term future until the end of the season.

"In football, players come, players leave. I'm not saying I'm coming or going," he said.

"We always talk between me and the club, everything is good, so we will see in the summer if things come. At the moment, I'm a Leicester player."