Former AC Milan manager Sergio Conceicao will take over as coach of Al Ittihad following the sacking of Laurent Blanc, the Saudi Arabian Pro League club announced on Wednesday.

The Portuguese coach, who also won 52 caps as a player, was revealed in a video on social media titled "The King Rules the Game".

"Victory is not a choice," says Conceicao, 50, in the video.

"It is an identity that defines us. Rivals may change and their allies will fall but the champion remains.

"The champion owns the game. I am Sergio Conceicao, I came to build glory with Ittihad."

He has signed a two-year contract and is the fourth Portuguese to manage the club, the most recent being current West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo who left in 2023.

Conceicao spent seven years in charge of Porto winning the Portuguese league three times before moving to Milan in the middle of last season.

He was fired after AC Milan finished eighth in Serie A and lost to Bologna in the Italian Cup final.

Al-Ittihad are currently third in the Saudi Pro League, three points behind leaders Al-Nassr.

It was a 2-0 defeat by their rivals at the end of September that spelt the end of Blanc's 14 months in charge.