A teenage girl was attacked on Lower Park Road in Rusholme late on Friday night.
A 17-year-old girl was walking along the road when a man in a silver car pulled up alongside her and attempted to talk to her, but she carried on walking.
The man got out of the car and approached the girl from behind before attempting to drag her into a nearby alleyway by the junction with Oxford Place.
The teenager managed to flee and raise the alarm.
The man has been described as Asian, approximately 5ft 7ins tall and aged in his 50s. He had a dark goatee beard and was wearing a plain white top, jeans and possibly trainers.
Detective Inspector Dan Hadfield, of GMP’s City of Manchester division, said: “This was a terrifying incident for the girl who thankfully wasn’t physically injured by this attack, but has understandably been left incredibly shaken and we’re doing everything we can to support her and find the man responsible.
“We have been following several lines of enquiry including reviewing CCTV footage of surrounding areas and we’re particularly keen to hear from anyone who saw a silver saloon style vehicle driving in the area last night.
“We have increased patrols in the area so please approach our officers with any concerns or any information you might have so we can piece together the circumstances surrounding this incident.”
