PH
Italian coach Roberto Mancini has unveiled a Saudi national team roster that excludes several experienced players in order to make room for a wave of youthful potential.
Notably, Talal Hajji’s inclusion stands noteworthy, potentially making him the Saudi national team’s second youngest player in history if he enters the field.
The Saudi national squad, led by Mancini and Yaya Youre, is preparing for its formal debut against Pakistan at Al-Ahsa on Thursday.
Toure joined the Saudi coaching staff as Mancini’s assistant in early November.
Toure has held a number of backstage positions since retiring from football four years ago, and he only joined Belgian club Standard Liege in June after working as an academy coach at Premier League team Tottenham Hotspur.
But the opportunity to work with the coach who signed him for Manchester City in July 2010 – when they won the Premier League and the FA Cup – was too good to pass up.
