Ollie Watkins has said the Saudi Pro League is at “Premier League quality” after scoring in his Al-Hilal debut. This happened during their 3-0 win over Al-Ahli, as reported by ESPN on Wednesday.
The England striker came on as a substitute at half-time. He scored with a header from Sultan Al-Mandash’s cross late in the match to help Al-Hilal secure a strong win.
“The level I saw here today was honestly of Premier League quality,” Watkins said after the game, according to ESPN.
“The match was very strong physically and demanding, and the quality was extremely high,” he added.
Watkins joined Al-Hilal from Aston Villa for £51 million last week. He said watching the club’s performance at the FIFA Club World Cup convinced him to make the move to Saudi Arabia.
“I knew straight away to join Al Hilal when the offer came. I watched the FIFA Club World Cup and I saw how well they performed. I always see who’s at the top of the league and they’re always up there.
“And look, I want to come here. I want to win trophies and I think this team is going to give me the best possible chance of doing that,” he said.
The 30-year-old admitted he still needs to reach full match fitness after training with his new teammates for just a few days.
“I want to score in every game. But I kept going, kept going, and I’m going to get a lot of chances. Ruben Neves and Serge Milinkovic-Savic are very intelligent players, and all I need to do is make the run.
“I’m a bit rusty at the moment, only had a couple of days training, so once I get in the groove, I’m going to be good,” Watkins said.
Watkins spent six seasons at Aston Villa after joining from Brentford in 2020. He scored 108 goals in 280 matches before moving to Al-Hilal.
The win was Al-Hilal’s fourth in four matches this season, keeping Simone Inzaghi’s team at the top of the Saudi Pro League table.
Drop your comment
No comments yet — be the first to drop the gist 👇