The White Knights reached the Egyptian Cup round of 16 after spanking Obeid on Friday at Cairo Stadium, avenging their infamous loss at the lower division side in the same competition two years ago.

Kone, whose abilities were frequently questioned by pundits over the past months, hit a treble that from Hassan's perspective showed what he's made of.

"I'm completely convinced with his form and I don't know why people tend to slate him," the Zamalek coach told reporters after the match.

"He bagged a hat-trick against Bani Obeid and that should silence his critics."

Zamalek's summer arrival Kone, who joined the Cairo outfit from Military Production, has only scored one league goal against Harras Hodoud so far this season.

"He's a key figure in the team and definitely deserves to wear Zamalek's jersey. I'm the only person responsible for the selection of the players after all," Hassan added.