Riyad Mahrez's Kevin De Bruyne impression shows Man City might need to change contract plans

Riyad Mahrez marked his Manchester City return with a fine performance on Saturday as the Blues saw off Fulham 4-1 in the FA Cup fourth round.

The Algeria international had spent the previous month in Cameroon captaining his country at the Africa Cup of Nations, a tournament that ended in shock group-stage elimination for the defending champions.

Mahrez didn't look like he'd been gone for a second, though, as his two goals and one assist helped City come from behind to book a place in the fifth round. Championship side Peterborough United and a certain Darren Ferguson await.

Riyad is enjoying his best season in a City shirt. Like many of Guardiola's signings, he took a while to bed in, but after impressing in the second half of last season he is now setting the pace for City's other attackers.

In 26 games across all competitions this term, the winger has scored 15 goals and provided six assists - a whopping 21 goal contributions. That is six more than City's second biggest contributor - Gabriel Jesus - while the team's second highest goal-scorer - Raheem Sterling - lags six behind.

During the entirety of last season Mahrez was directly involved in 23 goals, a tally he has nearly matched in 22 fewer games. He also appears to have cured City's mental block when it comes to penalties, having established himself as Guardiola's preferred taker.

In short, Mahrez can claim to be a crucial player for City. So, with less than 18 months left on his current contract, why is no one talking about extending his stay at the Etihad Stadium?

Age is the obvious factor. Mahrez turns 31 later this month, so will soon no longer fit the profile of the perfect Guardiola attacker. He is also less positionally flexible than his peers and plays