Leicester City star Riyad Mahrez has admitted that he ran away from a trial with Scottish side St Mirren because the weather north of the border was too bad.
The Algeria international has been a revelation this term in the Foxes’ unlikely Premier League title assault and was recently crowned as the PFA Player of the Year in England.
Mahrez has been a devastating attacking weapon for the King Power Stadium side, scoring 17 goals and creating 11 more in the club’s rags to riches story.
However, the African attacker has admitted that it was not always plain sailing for him in his early career, with a trial at St Mirren testing his limits.
Mahrez confesses that the Scottish weather and physical nature of the game was more than he could, or wanted, to handle.
“An agent paid for my ticket to Scotland and I travelled over with my Sarcelles team-mate Dany Bekele. It went well at first,” The Daily Mail quote Mahrez as saying.
“I played four friendly matches and scored seven goals. But they made me wait – for two-and-a-half months.
“Scotland drove me crazy. It was cold and physical. One day it was so cold that I feigned an injury to go back into the dressing room.
“I felt I had progressed enough but I wasn’t able to leave – so I left in secret. I even left my boots at the training ground. I borrowed a bike from a guy at the hotel and packed my bags without telling anyone.
“I didn’t even tell the lady at the hotel. I took a secret staircase which avoided the reception and went to the airport to go home!”
Mahrez is set to feature for Leicester on Sunday in a clash against Manchester United at Old Trafford, with Claudio Ranieri’s men set to win the league if they record victory.
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