Former Liverpool man Darwin Nunez's stint in Saudi Arabia has taken a turn for the worse after he was axed from Al-Hilal's squad following the arrival of Karim Benzema. 

Nunez joined the Reds for £85million to much fanfare in the summer of 2022, but struggled to find form despite his best efforts and moved on to the Middle East last summer for £46million. 

In Saudi Arabia, Nunez has scored seven goals in 23 games for the Pro League leaders, but will now find opportunities more limited following the arrival of Benzema.

Saudi teams are only allowed to register eight foreign players born before 2003 in their 25-man squads, and Nunez has found himself the unfortunate man to be culled after Benzema's signing. He can now only play a maximum of only five more games this season - in the AFC Champions League.

It is an identical situation to the one that fellow former Liverpool man Roberto Firmino faced this time last year, at rival club Al-Ahli. Former Arsenal man Pablo Mari has also been cut.

Manager Simone Inzaghi said of the decision: 'The decision was difficult, but that's the job of a coach. He makes many decisions every day, even in every training session.' 

'Nunez and Pablo are good players. I want them in all competitions, but we know the restrictions on registering foreign players. We couldn't register Marcos Leonardo as a player born in Saudi Arabia. Time was of the essence, and I made the difficult decision. I calmly informed the excluded players of my decision.

On Benzema, he added: 'Everyone knows Benzema. He's a great champion. He doesn't need to score a hat-trick to show his potential. We're happy to have him in the team - he benefits us in every aspect, not just on the pitch.'

Nunez made only eight starts in the Premier League in 2024-25 and just one in 2025 as he fell towards the bottom of Arne Slot's pecking order in attack.

The striker had asked to leave Liverpool in the January window of 2025, when he was again the subject of interest from Saudi Arabia, but the Reds took the decision to keep him for the remainder of the campaign so he could play a part in the successful title pursuit. 

Liverpool had received an offer from Napoli in June for Nunez but it was immediately rebuffed, as the Italian champions proposed a fee of just over £45million that would be paid in instalments – which would not begin until the summer of 2026.

Reports have suggested he has not settled in the Middle East and could be seeking a move back to Europe.