Ollie Watkins makes landmark Al Hilal debut after rapid move from Aston Villa

Ollie Watkins became the first English player to appear for Al Hilal after making his debut just 48 hours after joining the Saudi Pro League club from Aston Villa.

The forward was introduced at half-time by manager Simone Inzaghi during Al Hilal’s meeting with Al Ahli at Kingdom Arena on Tuesday. The fixture was being played as a rearranged match from the third round of the Roshn Saudi League.

Watkins replaced young Ivory Coast striker Mohamed Kader Meite at the start of the second half, completing an extraordinary turnaround after Al Hilal announced his signing only two days earlier.

According to reports, Al Hilal paid about 60m euros to bring the England international to Saudi Arabia from Aston Villa. His arrival was confirmed by the club on the previous Sunday, and he was immediately included in the squad for the postponed league fixture.

Saudi league broadcaster Thamanya reported that Watkins’ appearance made him the first English footballer to play for Al Hilal in the club’s long history. The debut therefore gave the striker a place in the club’s record books almost as soon as his transfer had been completed.

The decision to send Watkins on was made with Al Hilal holding a 2-0 lead. Al Ahli were also reduced to 10 players for the entire second half after their Turkish defender Merih Demiral was sent off at the end of the opening period.

Those circumstances provided Inzaghi with a suitable opportunity to introduce his new attacking option in competitive football, although the move came only two days after the transfer was officially announced.

Watkins is expected to become Al Hilal’s leading striker for the new season following the departures of Karim Benzema, Darwin Nunez and Marcos Leonardo during the current summer transfer window.

His arrival represents a significant change in the club’s attacking options. Benzema is French, Nunez is Uruguayan and Marcos Leonardo is Brazilian, while Watkins gives Al Hilal an English centre-forward who has now made an immediate impact in the club’s history simply by stepping on to the pitch.

The match against Al Ahli also marked the first opportunity for supporters to see the new signing in Al Hilal colours. His introduction was highlighted by the club on social media as the moment of Watkins’ first appearance, underlining the speed with which he moved from completing his transfer to taking part in a league match.

With his debut now complete, Watkins begins his Al Hilal career as the club’s new main attacking option and as the first English player to represent the Saudi side.