Italian coach Simone Inzaghi, head of Al Hilal club, insists on refusing to re-register the Portuguese João Cancelo in the local roster as the winter registration period in the Roshn Saudi League approaches.

The decision to exclude Cancelo came earlier after he sustained a knee injury during the match against Qatar's Al-Duhail in the AFC Champions League Elite, leading to his spot being used to register the young Brazilian forward Marcos Leonardo.

Inzaghi chose to keep the current list of foreign players unchanged, preferring technical stability and not to alter the eight locally registered names, according to the newspaper "Al-Riyadiyah."

Voices are rising within the corridors of Al Hilal demanding the removal of the Uruguayan striker Darwin Núñez from the squad to make room for the return of Cancelo after his recovery from injury.

The Italian coach refuses to let go of Núñez, affirming his confidence in his offensive abilities and his important role in leading the front line, despite ongoing discussions about this matter within the club.

The final decision regarding any potential changes to the foreign player list is still under consultation between the technical staff and management, with no official resolution yet before the registration window opens.

It is noted that the regulations of the Saudi Football Federation allow the registration of 10 foreign players in the local roster, provided that two of them were born in 2004 or later.