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| Riyad Mahrez has been dropped to the bench for Leicester's last two outings |
CLAUDIO RANIERI has revealed why he dropped Leicester's Riyad Mahrez to the bench, despite his strong start to the season.
The Algerian was the Premier League's in-form player before the international break last month, scoring five goals and assisting two.
But Ranieri surprisingly named the 24-year-old on the bench for the away win at Norwich and again for last weekend's draw at Southampton.
And the Foxes boss admits he needed to rest the winger following his two appearances for Algeria as he had only one training session before the Canaries clash.
Mahrez, who is a known target for Premier League rivals Arsenal, is in contention to start in tomorrow's visit of Crystal Palace.
"He's ready but he's always ready," said Ranieri. "I left him on the bench at the beginning because he, as well as his other team-mates, were around the world.
"I want to choose some players who stayed with me for 10 days and not who went around with the national teams without training, and just travel a lot and play two matches.
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| Arsene Wenger has made no secret of his interest in Riyad Mahrez |
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| Claudio Ranieri says he needed to rest Riyad Mahrez after international duty |
"For me, my consideration about him is very high."
He added: "Riyad can play everywhere because his skill is amazing. When he starts from the left and goes inside from the right, he is dangerous.
"But he is dangerous everywhere. It's important he runs with the ball in the middle. He has to stay calm and show his ability in the last 20 or 25 metres."
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