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Without playing: how Yassine Bounou pushed Al-Hilal into the most difficult decision of all.

Morocco's star goalkeeper has become the centre of attention.

Al-Hilal had entered their planning for the new season with a clear idea of changing their goalkeeping set-up. But developments inside the squad compelled the club's management to completely revise those plans.

Caught between the urge to refresh the squad and the need to maintain greater flexibility, "the Boss" found themselves dealing with a choice that had not been part of the original roadmap.

Bono to remain despite all expectations

Al-Hilal have taken the decision to keep Yassine Bounou. The Morocco international goalkeeper had been strongly linked with a move away this summer, but the club will not approve his exit.

Bounou's continuation means the Moroccan remains at the top of Al-Hilal's options heading into the new campaign. That follows a period in which the club had appeared inclined to make a change in goal and reorganise their foreign-player group.

The issue went beyond merely retaining one of the club's highest-profile goalkeepers. Al-Hilal reviewed the choices available within the squad and concluded that there was no other option capable of offering the coaching staff the same level of assurance.

Al-Rubaie and Al-Owais have not resolved the issue

Al-Hilal had two local goalkeeping alternatives, Mohammed Al-Rubaie and Mohammed Al-Owais, but neither managed to do enough to persuade the hierarchy that the side could part with Bono without suffering technically.

Because of that, Bono's departure has become far more difficult to picture. The team are approaching a season full of commitments, and they require a goalkeeper with the quality and experience to cope with the biggest matches.

What started as an attempt to reshape the squad has now become a technical necessity. The available alternatives showed that allowing Bono to leave at this stage would involve greater risk than keeping him.

The toughest call: Bono changes the calculations completely

Keeping Bono represents a difficult decision for Al-Hilal. It goes against everything that had previously been expected regarding the goalkeeper's future. From a technical perspective, however, it appears to be the sensible one.

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Al-Hilal cannot begin a new season with a goalkeeper who is not prepared to handle pressure, particularly when the team are pursuing domestic and continental trophies. Any mistake in that role could come at a huge cost.

Bono has, in effect, forced Al-Hilal to review all their calculations. The Moroccan will remain part of the project for the new season, despite earlier indications that he would leave.

Keeping him could ultimately be the safest route, even if the management had never intended to make that decision at the outset. The alternatives were simply not convincing enough to replace a goalkeeper with the stature and experience of the Morocco international.