In the video: Watkins: The Saudi league is as strong as the Premier League, and I couldn't believe what the Al-Hilal fans did

The English striker comments on his debut with "the Boss"

England's Ollie Watkins has hailed the Saudi Roshn League after making his debut, rating it every bit as strong as the English Premier League.

The new Al-Hilal striker watched his side thump Al-Ahli 3-0 in the rescheduled third-round fixture at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh on Tuesday.

Watkins told Saudi newspaper "Asharq Al-Awsat" after the match: "I am happy to be here, it was a wonderful start, and I look forward to playing more matches here at our stadium."

He added: "It was a very good start. The level I saw here today was honestly of Premier League quality. The match was very strong physically and demanding, and the quality was extremely high."

The striker concluded: "It was an amazing start, I did not expect it to be like this. When I went down to the pitch for the first time to inspect it before the match, the atmosphere was wonderful, the fans were chanting my name, it is an amazing start."

Watkins made his first appearance for Al-Hilal in the fixture following his move from Aston Villa. He came on as a second-half substitute and marked the occasion by scoring the capital club's third.