Al Hilal have officially appointed Scottish executive Richard Hughes as the club's new sporting director, as the Saudi side continues to strengthen its football management structure.

Hughes officially started his new role on Sunday after arriving in Riyadh. The move opens a new chapter in his career following his previous experience as Liverpool's sporting director.

Hughes held the role throughout Mohamed Salah’s final season at Anfield, before the Egyptian star left Liverpool for Trabzonspor in the summer.

The appointment is part of Al Hilal's efforts, under the club company's board headed by Prince Nawaf bin Saad, to build a stronger sporting structure covering the first team, recruitment, scouting and youth development.

New Team Around Hughes

Hughes will not work alone, with Al Hilal also announcing several appointments to form the club's new sporting department.

Englishman Simon Francis will work as technical director of football, while Scotland's Mark Burchill has been appointed recruitment director and Craig Mackie will serve as scouting director.

Harry Arter joins the structure as a senior technical scout, while Abdulhakim Al-Tuwaijri will be responsible for the club's youth teams as technical director.

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The appointments show Al Hilal's plan to divide key responsibilities between specialists in recruitment, scouting and player development.

The Saudi club also thanked Prince Alwaleed bin Talal for covering the contracts of the new sporting management team as part of his continued support for Al Hilal.

Al Hilal Keep Winning

The announcement comes during a strong start to the Saudi Pro League season for Al Hilal.

The team currently sits alone at the top of the table after collecting all 15 possible points from its opening five matches, winning every game without a draw or defeat.

Al Hilal will hope Hughes and his new team can strengthen the club's long-term sporting project as ambitions continue to grow both in Saudi Arabia and in continental competitions.

Recruitment, player selection and the development of the scouting system are expected to be among the main areas Hughes will work on during the coming period alongside the rest of the sporting department.

While Simone Inzaghi's team continues to deliver strong results on the pitch, Al Hilal's management is also working behind the scenes to build a more professional and specialized structure capable of supporting the club's ambitions in the years ahead.