Crossword Genius

No Crusader, he! (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

saladin

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'no crusader' is the definition.
The definition suggests a singular noun which matches the answer.

'he' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'he' could be 'sal' and 'sal' is present in the answer.
The remaining letters 'adin' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for saladin that I've seen before include "He fought Richard" , "Sultan who fought the Crusaders" , "Richard the Lionheart's Crusade opponent" , "Crusade warrior" , "Richard's opponent" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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