Al-Hilal have started the season in blistering form and are four points clear at the top of the Saudi Pro League and one signing in particular has impressed, but it might not be who you think.
During the summer transfer window, the Saudi side spent a shed ton of money on some of Europe’s top players.
Neymar, formerly of Paris Saint Germain, joined the club this summer for a fee of around £70 million, and, unsurprisingly, the fanfare and excitement was mainly geared towards the Brazilian winger.
However, there is another player who caused excitement among the fans so far this season as his performances on the pitch has already made him a fan favourite.
Aleksandar Mitrovic has not taken long to settle in at his new club in the Middle East following his £46million move to Jorge Jesus’ Al Hilal.
The 29-year-old has five goals and one assist in four appearances for the Saudi Pro League giants, including one hat-trick.
Mitrovic’s impact
The Serbian forward was seemingly desperate to move away from Fulham this summer and was threatening to refuse to train, according to Sky Sports.
The supporters of the Saudi side are already in love with their new striker, who has led the line brilliantly throughout the early absence of the club’s landmark signing Neymar – who is currently out injured.
The Brazilian has been limited to just one appearance so far for his new side so the Serbian forward has taken on the baton of being the club’s most important player.
The Al-Hilal fans displayed their affection for Mitrovic by displaying a banner at the home end of their most recent game, a 6-1 victory over Al Riyadh in which the former Premier League ace scored a penalty and Neymar got an assist on his debut.
Al-Hilal with the success of Neymar and Mitrovic could well be the team to beat in the Pro League and they are already well clear at the top of the table.