Exclusive to Kooora: Pizzi disagrees with Deniz over Saudi Arabia's players

Portuguese coach Jose Peseiro, the former Saudi Arabia manager now in charge of AlUla, has taken issue with Saudi Arabia boss Georgios Donis over the impact of foreign professionals in the Roshn League on the national team's players.

Donis had complained that Saudi players get limited game time at their clubs because of the dominance of foreign stars.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Arabian Gulf Cup "Gulf 27", currently under way in Saudi Arabia, the Greek said: "I am not afraid of anything, but having a strong league does not necessarily mean a strong national team, as the clubs rely on foreign stars, and this reduces the opportunities for Saudi players."

Roberto Mancini and Herve Renard voiced the same complaint during their own failed spells with the national team.

Peseiro sees it differently. Having led Al-Hilal for six months in 2006 and Saudi Arabia between 2009 and 2011, he believes foreign professionals have been a boon for Saudi football.

He told Kooora , in an interview to be published in full at a later date: "They have helped, and they still help, enormously."

The 66-year-old added: "Training daily alongside a player who has previously won the Ballon d'Or or been crowned European champion raises the level of any local player. The demands have risen, and this will make the Saudi national team much more mature."

"The reality of Saudi football at this moment cannot be compared with what I experienced when I was the coach of Al-Hilal and Saudi Arabia," the Portuguese continued. "On every level, and in every aspect, football has developed enormously. All this investment and development will bear fruit in the short and medium term."