Kasper Schmeichel has said that one player Manchester City sold last year is one of the best he’s ever seen.
Numerous players have left the Manchester club over the past few years, whether it be as free agents, on loan deals or permanent deals for significant transfer fees.
Looking back over the previous summer transfer window, big names such as Ilkay Gundogan, Joao Cancelo and Cole Palmer all made moves away from the Etihad Stadium.
However, another departure from that summer has now been hailed by one of his former teammates as one the best he’s ever played with.
Schmeichel says Riyad Mahrez was completely ‘ridiculous’
Speaking in a recent episode of The Rest Is Football, Schmeichel had this to say when asked about Riyad Mahrez and how much of a top signing he was for Leicester City.
He said: “Well, Steve Walsh had this knack of doing that. In the Championship, he found Anthony Knockaert, who was incredible for us in the Championship. And then he brings in this skinny little geezer from Le Havre, and I’m looking at him, I’m thinking, wow, this is the Championship.
“Those legs, those skinny legs, oh my God, you’re coming up against people like Wes Morgan here. And then you saw him in training and you’re like, oh wow, okay, okay, this is interesting. This is interesting.
“And you’re like, nah, there’s got to be something wrong with this guy because surely someone else would have seen this before.”
“Sometimes you see people that are just genuinely world-class, and N’Golo [Kante] was one of them and Riyad was one of them.
“Riyad was, he was an outrageous footballer. His ability with the ball, his touch was just ridiculous.
“And I know in training defenders, they, one, hated playing against him because he could make them look foolish. But I know they also loved it because they thought if I could deal with Riyad in training, I ain’t going come up against much better.
“His ability to change games and just do magic is one of the best things I’ve ever seen.
“In the team again, we talk about the momentum and the structure, he was allowed that because Riyad didn’t defend, not for Leicester. He learned it at Man City, that’s why he is a genuinely world-class player because he also learned that at Man City.”
Mahrez is one of the best wingers the Premier League has seen
After making 179 appearances for Leicester, during which he scored 48 goals, delivered 36 assists and helped them win their historic Premier League title back in 2016, the winger joined City in the 2018 summer transfer window in a deal worth £60m.
During his five years at the Etihad, Mahrez scored 78 goals, provided 56 goals and won multiple trophies in 236 games across all competitions.
Having had such a successful time in England and delivered so many goal contributions, it comes as no surprise that Schmeichel is such a big admirer of his former Leicester teammate, who we feel should be considered as one of the best wingers the Premier League has ever seen.