Jesus Defends Local Talent as Renard Questions Minutes Ahead of Al Nassr’s Clash
26 December 2025
Jesus defends local players as Renard questions minutes
Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus, manager of Al Nassr, pressed to back local players against remarks by French coach Herve Renard, head coach of the Saudi national team who tried to justify declining results by criticizing reduced minutes for local players.
Saudi Arabia’s Arab Cup exit and a coach’s response
The Saudi national team had been eliminated from the Arab Cup, losing to Jordan 1-0 in the semi-finals, prompting Renard to complain again about the minutes of Saudi players.
Speaking at a press conference before the Al Khudood match in the Roshen Saudi League, Jesus said: “I disagree with this view; I have been aware of this issue since 2019, and the Saudi players have clearly improved, so a drop in minutes is not a real crisis from my view.”
The biggest proof, he added, is the Portuguese national team, which does not include players from the domestic league, so this isn’t a crisis; the Green Falcons have many good players, and that’s undeniable.
Jesus said Al Nassr will face tough challenges in the coming period amid a congested schedule, adding: “We are trying to avoid fatigue and to bring the injured back to participation in a natural way.”
Jesus confirmed that next week Mohammed Simakan would return to training, noting that he does not want to rush his return to matches.
He wrapped up: “Inigo Martinez is not injured, but I decided to rest him in recent matches to avoid fatigue due to age; he is like Cristiano Ronaldo.”
Al Nassr hosts Al Khudood on Saturday, in the tenth round of the Roshen Saudi League, as the World sit top the table with 27 points.
Punchline 1: In football, minutes vanish faster than a defender’s excuses. Blink and they’re gone.
Punchline 2: If patience were a player, it would be Ronaldo—aging gracefully and still stealing the show.
