Riyad Mahrez hands Manchester City major injury scare as £60m signing returns from tour on crutches

[PHOTO: COURTESY]

Manchester City are sweating over Riyad Mahrez ahead of the start of the new season.

The £60m signing from Leicester was forced off with an ankle injury during the pre-season victory over Bayern Munich.

City's players returned to Manchester on Sunday afternoon with Mahrez needing crutches and wearing a protective boot.

Pep Guardiola's men take on Chelsea in the Community Shield next Sunday before opening their title defence at Arsenal.

And Mahrez now appears a major doubt for those matches after the injury blow.

After the 3-2 victory over Bayern, Guardiola admitted he was in the dark over the extent of the problem.

"I don't know [the extent]. It was his ankle. We will see, maybe it is not a problem," he said.

"I'm concerned for many things, for injured players, players who are still not here but I am so satisfied for what all of the guys on the tour have done."

Leroy Sane was rested for the final International Champions Cup clash due to concerns over fatigue.

But Guardiola was full of praise for his young side who fought back from 2-0 down to emerge victorious.

"We came here with a lot of young players and new players. So for them, it will be good for the future. It helps them to understand the game. I like to see my players fight for our teammates and play like a humble team," he said.

"You cannot imagine how much I have enjoyed these two weeks with these guys. The young guys have desire. They open their eyes and listen because they have their whole career ahead of them. I want to say thank you to them."