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Leicester City manager Claude Puel has offered an olive branch to Riyad Mahrez and thinks the want-away midfielder will be accepted back into the squad.
Mahrez will not play for Leicester against Swansea on Saturday as he "clears his head", with his return to the group set to be carefully managed by the Premier League club.
The 26-year-old Algerian saw a move to Manchester City fall through on Wednesday, the final day of the transfer window. He was supposed to be part of the squad that played Everton that evening but failed to show up and did not travel to Merseyside.
Mahrez has not trained for Puel's side since seeing his hopes of a dream move dashed.
Manchester City pulled out of the deal as they were unwilling to match the Foxes' valuation of the player, which Press Association Sport understands to be £80 million (Dh414.8m), so Mahrez, who has two-and-a-half years remaining on his contract, will remain at the King Power Stadium at least until the end of the season.
And Puel has described Mahrez as a "good man", and thinks his team-mates will show him there is a way back.
"After some time, he will come back with us," the Frenchman said. "He is our friend and I think all the staff and all the players will help him to come back with a good mentality and a positive attitude and to enjoy his football with his team-mates.
"Riyad is a good player but he is a good man also. I respect him. It's important to manage this with calm inside the club.
"We have a good relationship. [On Friday morning] I have seen my players with a good focus and with smiles and enjoying their training session. I hope there is a good solution.
"All the staff, especially all the squad, they are his friends. Of course, no problem when he will come back with us, with a good feeling for all the people."
Mahrez will not play for Leicester against Swansea on Saturday as he "clears his head", with his return to the group set to be carefully managed by the Premier League club.
The 26-year-old Algerian saw a move to Manchester City fall through on Wednesday, the final day of the transfer window. He was supposed to be part of the squad that played Everton that evening but failed to show up and did not travel to Merseyside.
Mahrez has not trained for Puel's side since seeing his hopes of a dream move dashed.
Manchester City pulled out of the deal as they were unwilling to match the Foxes' valuation of the player, which Press Association Sport understands to be £80 million (Dh414.8m), so Mahrez, who has two-and-a-half years remaining on his contract, will remain at the King Power Stadium at least until the end of the season.
And Puel has described Mahrez as a "good man", and thinks his team-mates will show him there is a way back.
"After some time, he will come back with us," the Frenchman said. "He is our friend and I think all the staff and all the players will help him to come back with a good mentality and a positive attitude and to enjoy his football with his team-mates.
"Riyad is a good player but he is a good man also. I respect him. It's important to manage this with calm inside the club.
"We have a good relationship. [On Friday morning] I have seen my players with a good focus and with smiles and enjoying their training session. I hope there is a good solution.
"All the staff, especially all the squad, they are his friends. Of course, no problem when he will come back with us, with a good feeling for all the people."
Riyad Mahrez has been given a hilarious nickname by his Leicester City teammates after his deadline day move to Manchester City fell through.
Mahrez looked all set to join the Citizens on January 31 as Pep Guardiola wanted a replacement for injured winger Leroy Sane, but he baulked at the Foxes' £80m asking price, prompting him to say he can't compete financially with Premier League rivals.
The Algerian international has since gone rogue, missing training sessions and with a potential £200k disciplinary fine being issued if it continues.
According to Sun, his teammates have seen the funny side, nicknaming him Viktor Narvoski from the film The Terminal.
Narvoski is Tom Hanks' character in the Steven Spielberg flick based around his failure to gain entry to return home back to the the USA after a military coup and instead getting stuck in the airport.
Mahrez earned the name after spending the entirety of the summer transfer deadline day in an airport waiting for a big club to come calling and has only enforced the nickname further after throwing his toys out the pram when his move to Manchester City fell through this window.
The 26-year-old is seemingly desperate to leave the Foxes in order to further progress his career and appears to be really down in the dumps after the latest set back.
One of his close friends said: "I was with Riyad today and he is very down and depressed. He understood that if a big club came in for him he would be allowed to go and realise his dream. Riyad thought he had that relationship with the club that he could be free to move and be recognised as one of the best footballers in the world.