The Uruguayan was omitted from Al-Hilal's league squad for the second half of the Saudi Pro League season, which comes as a significant blow ahead of this summer's World Cup
10:42, 18 Feb 2026
Simone Inzaghi
Simone Inzaghi has spoken about the decision to exclude Darwin Nunez from Al-Hilal's squad for the rest of the season(Image: Getty Images)
Al-Hilal head coach Simone Inzaghi has explained why Darwin Nunez was excluded from the club’s Saudi Pro League squad for the rest of the campaign.
Nunez, who joined Al-Hilal from Liverpool for an initial €53 million ($63 million), has been omitted from the squad for the second half of the campaign, after featuring in 16 of the club’s first 20 league matches.
But the January arrival of Karim Benzema from fellow Saudi club Al-Ittihad has changed Nunez’s position. Al-Hilal can only name eight foreign players born before 2003 in its 25-man squad, and with Benzema taking one of those spots, there is no place for Nunez.
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The ex-Red was overlooked, along with ex-Arsenal defender Pablo Mari. Speaking in a press conference last week, Inzaghi said: “The decision was difficult, but that’s the job of a coach. He makes many decisions every day, even in every training session.
“Nunez and Pablo are good players. I want them in all competitions, but we know the restrictions on registering foreign players.
“Time was of the essence, and I made the difficult decision. I calmly informed the excluded players of my decision.”
Darwin Nunez
Nunez has endured a frustrating spell so far in Saudi Arabia(Image: Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)
Nunez is still eligible to play in the Asian Champions League, and responded emphatically to his domestic disappointment by scoring both goals in a 2-1 win over Al-Wahda on Monday.
He responded by celebrating with an icy stare toward the stands, an action believed to be leveled at the club’s key decision-makers.
The forward was linked with a mid-season move to Fenerbahce, but a potential loan fell through, leaving a frustrating few months in store with Al-Hilal.
That is even more pronounced given his World Cup aims, with the Uruguayan emerging as a key figure at international level.
Nunez initially started the season impressively at Al-Hilal, scoring four in his first five appearances for the club.
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But the goals have since dried up, and he failed to net in any of his last six league appearances before being culled from the squad.
That follows a disappointing final campaign at Anfield in which the 26-year-old managed to score just once in Liverpool’s final 24 matches of the season.
His switch to Saudi Arabia was supposed to invigorate his career. Instead, it has only stalled further, and a summer exit seems increasingly likely.