This is the shocking moment a hooded thug punches a cyclist in the face during a daylight robbery in Manchester city centre .

Mobile phone footage shows several pedestrians watching on as the man is repeatedly hit.

At one point, the cyclist is dragged across the road as he desperately clings on to the silver and red mountain bike.

The minute-long clip, which has been shared widely online, opens with the cyclist lying in the road as a man in a dark grey hooded cagoule tries to wrestle the bike from him.

Shouts of ‘no, no’ and ‘get off my bike’ can be heard as the cyclist is punched twice to the face.

A man in a suit and red tie can be seen trying to help the cyclist during the robbery, which took place at the junction of Oxford Road and Hall Street.

(Image: Jam Press)

The thug repeatedly tries to drag the bike, which appears to be an £800 Voodoo Canzo, away from the cyclist, before he eventually gives up and walks away with another man, who had been watching on.

The second man, wearing a black coat, then returns to the scene, to retrieve his own bike from the pavement.

As the woman filming the incident attempts to capture his face he angrily pushes her before walking off towards St Peter’s Square with the attacker.

As the footage ends the visibly shaken cyclist is helped to his feet and can be seen shaking his head as he inspects his bike.

Facebook group UK Motorcycle Theft Protest Community has shared the undated footage online.

Police say one of the thieves repeatedly punched the victim in the face.

They say both of the men were black and aged between 15 and 20.

GMP’s Manchester city centre Chief Inspector Cherie Buttle said: “This was a violent, vicious and shameless robbery that took place on one of the city centre’s biggest and busiest roads.

“An innocent man was apprehended and attacked senselessly all for his bike. No one should ever be scared to cycle or walk our streets and disgusting attacks like this will not ever be tolerated.

“We are making contact with the victim and we are carrying out lots of work to identify the mindless men who did this.

“Unfortunately, the person who filmed the incident is yet to come forward to police and I would personally urge them to contact us immediately as they were a key witness and could hold vital information.

“I would also urge anyone else who recognises the men in the footage, or who saw something, to get in touch.

“Dedicated officers patrol the city during the day and night and the images have been circulated to them too. Robbery is a high priority for us in the city and we have a dedicated team to tackling this issue.

“We will continue to do everything we can to make our city feel safe and if you do have any concerns then please stop us.”

Police say they are examining the bike for forensic evidence.

Got a story or an issue you want us to investigate? Want to tell us about something going on where you live? Let us know - in complete confidence - by emailing newsdesk@men-news.co.uk, calling us on 0161 211 2323, tweeting us @MENnewsdesk or messaging us on our Facebook page . You can also send us a story tip using the form here . Join the Manchester Evening News breaking news Facebook group for a place to read and talk about breaking news in Greater Manchester.