Manchester City winger Riyad Mahrez has thrown his weight behind teammate Phil Foden to become a top player for the club in future.

The England U21 midfielder starred along with the Algeria international in City’s 5-0 thrashing of Burnley in Monday’s Premier League game.

Foden ignited the flurry of goals in the 22nd minute and then grabbed his second moments after the hour mark to wrap up the commanding display after Mahrez’s brace and David Silva’s strike.

The victory helped Pep Guardiola’s men maintain their second place on the league table and reduced the gap between them and leaders Liverpool to 20 points.

Mahrez is delighted with the development of the young midfielder and is confident he will become a star player for City in future.

‘Since I arrived, Phil has improved a lot. He’s been training with us and he’s still young. He’s been improving a lot,’ Mahrez told CityTV.

‘He has a lot of quality and he needs to keep going in a good way to improve more and more. He has a lot of time to improve and be a top player in this club and the country.’

With his two goals against Burnley, Mahrez has now scored at least ten goals across all competitions in five successive seasons.

The forward joined the Citizens in the summer of 2018 from Leicester City after impressive showings for the side, where he helped win the Premier League title in the 2015-16 season.

The £60 million paid to the Foxes made the Algeria star the most expensive African footballer and City’s record signing.

Mahrez has played 52 Premier League games since his arrival at the Etihad Stadium, helping the Citizens clinch the 2018-19 league title.

This season, the winger has enjoyed more playing time than his debut campaign, having featured in 39 games.

The 29-year-old former Le Havre forward has scored 11 goals this season and provided 15 assists across all competitions.

Mahrez has also been playing a prominent role for Algeria and in 2019, the winger inspired his side to win the Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.

The forward will hope to continue his impressive performances in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers for the North Africans.

He will also be expected to feature prominently when Manchester City take on Premier League rivals Chelsea on Thursday.