Riyad Mahrez says Nigel Pearson deserves credit for Leicester City's rise.

Mahrez, the elusive playmaker signed from Le Havre in French ­football's second tier for £350,000, ­acknowledges Leicester's success has been a tale of two managers - Pearson and Claudio Ranieri.

He told the Mirror: “Nigel was very good with me," he said. “He knew I didn't speak much English when I arrived, so he spoke more slowly to me and he tried to teach me good things as well.

“It was difficult in the beginning but now it's OK. Does he deserve credit for where we are now? I think so, yeah. He brought all the players to the team, apart from maybe a few. Even if we finish sixth or seventh now, he deserves credit because he built this team. He didn't have the luck to carry on."