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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – JUNE 26: Simone Inzaghi Manager of Al Hilal during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 group H match between Al Hilal and CF Pachuca at GEODIS Park on June 26, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
Simone Inzaghi has moved to quash speculation about a potential return to Italian football, insisting he remains fully committed to Al-Hilal despite the Saudi club’s elimination from the Asian Champions League on penalties at the hands of Roberto Mancini’s Al-Sadd.
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The former Inter head coach, whose name has been linked with the Italy national team vacancy and various Serie A positions following the turbulence of recent weeks, was unequivocal when asked about his future.
“I am staying at Al-Hilal because I am doing my job to the best of my abilities and I am giving everything of myself,” he said, with quotes via FCInter1908.
The defeat to Al-Sadd on penalties will have stung, particularly given the circumstances.
Al-Hilal coach Inzaghi: ‘Luck was not on our side’
Inzaghi felt his side were the superior team on the night, taking the lead on three separate occasions only to be pegged back each time before ultimately losing the shootout.
“I was aiming to reach the quarter-finals but fortune was not on our side,” he said. “We tried with all our strength and created several chances. Al-Sadd held firm and scored three goals, but Al-Hilal were the stronger team and took the lead three times.”
It is a result that will do little to ease the pressure on Inzaghi at a club where expectations remain extraordinarily high. However, his public declaration of commitment to the project suggests he has no intention of using the setback as a reason to seek an exit, at least for now.
