Riyad Mahrez Manchester City 2019-20

'Mahrez is a collective player while Salah is an individual player' - Manchester City legend Nasri

Former Arsenal midfielder Samir Nasri said he would rather work with Manchester City winger Riyad Mahrez than play alongside Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah.

The former Premier League star highlighted Mahrez's style of play which could aid another player's development as a factor behind his decision.

Salah has won the English top-flight's Golden Boot in the last two seasons and currently has nine goals and four assists in 14 games this term while Mahrez has four assists and five goals in the same number of matches.

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Although he was born in France, Nasri is of Algerian descent and he disclosed another reason for picking Mahrez because of his origin.

"Between Mahrez and Salah, I would prefer to work alongside Mahrez," Nasri told Le Buteur.

"Why? Because he is Algerian and I also like his style of play.

"Mahrez is a collective player, while Salah is much more an individual player. He only aspires to score goals. I wouldn't say Salah is selfish, but he runs behind goals and statistics.

"Mahrez, meanwhile, you can play one-two with him. He is a player with whom you can easily develop."

On Sunday, the Liverpool and Manchester City stars made the final cut for the 2019 African Player of the Year, with Salah aiming for his third crown in a row while Mahrez targets a second award after his maiden win in 2016.

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