Inzaghi to give Summerville first Al Hilal run-out in Austria friendly against MC Alger

Simone Inzaghi has decided to hand new signing Crysencio Summerville his first appearance for Al Hilal in Wednesday’s friendly against MC Alger, though the Dutch winger is only expected to feature for a short spell.

Al Hilal face the Algerian side in Austria in what will be the Saudi club’s third warm-up match of their pre-season training camp, as they build towards the 2026-2027 campaign.

According to Saudi newspaper Al-Riyadiya, head coach Inzaghi will introduce Summerville for limited minutes, following an individual fitness plan drawn up for the forward by the club’s conditioning staff.

Summerville, who joined Al Hilal from West Ham United for a reported fee in the region of €80m, linked up with his new team-mates at the Austrian camp after last Friday’s friendly against South African club Mamelodi Sundowns.

The 22-year-old has been working separately on his physical preparation since arriving, with Inzaghi now ready to give him a controlled first outing in Al Hilal colours as part of his gradual integration into the side.

Neves and Mhazri to sit out

Midfielder Ruben Neves will not be involved against MC Alger. The Portugal international has only just rejoined the squad after featuring for his national team at the 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

New recruit Mohammed Mhazri, who recently completed his move from Al Taawoun, is also set to miss the match. Both Neves and Mhazri underwent standard medical checks and benchmark physical tests on Wednesday morning and will continue working away from match action in the short term.

Strong start to Austrian camp

The meeting with MC Alger is the third fixture of Al Hilal’s overseas camp in Austria. Inzaghi’s side opened their preparations with a 2-1 victory over Austrian club Sturm Graz, before defeating Mamelodi Sundowns 2-0.

Al Hilal, widely known by their nickname “Al Zaeem”, will round off their Austrian schedule on 3 August, when they face Al Ahli of Qatar. The squad is then due to return to Riyadh to complete preparations for the new domestic and continental campaigns.

Inzaghi is using the Austrian friendlies to assess his options and ease key players back to full fitness, while carefully managing the workload of those returning from international duty and new arrivals such as Summerville and Mhazri.