There will be no respite for Riyad Mahrez after his African Cup of Nations exploits, Leicester City manager Nigel Pearson has warned.
The winger returned from international duty with Algeria this week after playing a big part as Algeria reached the quarter-finals before losing to Ivory Coast on Sunday.
He scored the first goal in Algeria's final group stage win over Senegal to secure their qualification for the last eight.
But Pearson said there would be no time to rest and that Mahrez has been made aware he will be expected to be ready for an immediate return to action for City, with Crystal Palace visiting the King Power Stadium on Saturday.
"My only concern is that Riyad comes back fit and ready to play for us," said Pearson.
"He knows what is expected when he does get back.
"It is not like the end of a season when he can relax. He comes back to us, hopefully, fit and ready to play for us again.
"I spoke to a French agent a couple of weeks ago and he said that one of the problems they have in France with a lot of the French Africans is that they are away for a month and then it takes them a month to get back into it.
"Riyad is aware of the fact I know that.
"He is also aware of the fact I don't expect him to have any further time off.
"He will be coming straight back into it and, hopefully, picking up where he left off."
As well as Mahrez's availability, midfielder Matty James also returns after a three-game ban to bolster City's options ahead of Saturday.
However, new signing Robert Huth will serve the last of his two-game ban for infringing the FA's policy on activity on social media and will have to wait until Tuesday to make his City debut at Arsenal.
Leicester City on-loan striker Tom Hopper has been nominated for January's Player of the Month in League One.
The 21-year-old, who is on loan at Scunthorpe United until the end of the season, has scored four goals in four games for the Iron.
