Pep Guardiola confirms Riyad Mahrez's availability for West Ham clash

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said that Riyad Mahrez can play in the Premier League match against West Ham as the Algerian winger is 'clear and fine'.

Mahrez missed the clash against Liverpool on August 4 due to uncertainty over the fact that he may have had inadvertently ingested any banned substances while on international duty with Algeria at the Africa Cup of Nations.

"He had a little surgery after the African Cup on his nose so he could breathe better, it's a normal situation. The doctor - I don't think he was from the national team - didn't send the necessary [paperwork], that was the only reason why [he didn't play]," Goal.com quoted Guardiola as saying.

"We didn't have it at the right moment. But after the last week, anti-doping [agents] have made the test. Everything is clear and fine. He can play," he added.

Commenting on the decision of not using Mahrez in the Liverpool match, Guardiola said that it was just a precautionary step.

"Our doctors came to me and said they did not know exactly [what he had taken]. Every time you take something you have to inform the club and make the lists. Everyone knows it. We pass one or two controls every month here. We didn't have it at that moment, he did it in Algeria. So it was a precaution, we had to be careful. It was better not to use him, that was the reason why," Guardiola said.

Manchester City will compete against West Ham on August 10.