Riyad Mahrez has been nominated for the Manchester City Player of the Month for January 2021.
The former Le Havre and Leicester City star will compete with Portuguese midfielder Bernardo Silva and Spain international Rodrigo for the monthly gong.
Mahrez, 30, has been in breathtaking form during Pep Guardiola’s men's 20-game winning run – assisting crucial winning goals against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium and against David Moyes’ West Ham United on Saturday.
In addition, the Algerian forward struck a sublime strike in City’s 3-1 defeat of Carlo Ancelotti’s Everton at Goodson Park – his sixth strike in the 2020-21 campaign.
For Rodrigo, his presence has been crucial to the Etihad Stadium giants’ impressive form. He was on target in the 3-0 defeat of Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham Hotspur while netting a brace in the 3-1 FA Cup victory at Championship side Swansea.
Silva is a strong contender to succeed January winner Ilkay Gundogan. Apart from his notable displays, he boasts of four assists and two goals in seven matches played in the month under review.
Mahrez recently disclosed that he has developed a near-telepathic connection with team-mate Bernardo on the field after they silenced the Toffees.
"We tried to pass and move to find space to score the goal. We [himself and Bernardo Silva] have always had a good connection, we don't even need to speak to each other - we know where we are. We all know each other,” he told Amazon per Goal.
The trio is expected to be in action when Manchester City square up against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Tuesday at home in the Premier League.
Currently, they occupy the summit of the English top-flight table, having accrued 62 points from 26 games - 12 points ahead of closest challengers Manchester United. Wolves on the other hand are 12th on the log with 34 points from the same number of fixtures.
Victory for the Citizens against Nuno Espirito Santo’s side would brighten their chances of sealing their seventh Premier League title even further.