"Saad played a pivotal role in helping us return to winning ways after a barren run," the Zamalek skipper told Al-Hayat TV on Saturday.

"He follows everything within the team and also works with the youngsters. He almost spends all his day at the club's headquarters."

Saad was handed the Zamalek role last month after the Cairo giants failed to win their first four matches under the guidance of Swiss coach Michel Decastel.

Zamalek have won three matches and lost once since then.

"Saad sat down with me right after accepting the Zamalek job to ask about how things were going."

"When he realized that the team were in a serious trouble, he told me that he would do his best to make sure we overcome the crisis," Al-Sayed added.

Saad acted as Zamalek's caretaker coach on numerous occasions. The White Knights always call him up whenever they endure a crisis.

Patience

Al-Sayed, one of Zamalek's most consistent performers, urged the fans to be patient as the team started to heavily rely on youngsters.

"Those players need time to gain experience and be able to compete for honors."

"Winning the Cairo derby against Ahli would be a huge boost to the players' morale," the 31-year-old concluded.

The likes of Hazem Emam, Ahmed Al-Merghani and Alaa Ali, who were promoted to the first team under former coach Ahmed Refaat, proved their worth.

They became regular members of Decastel's squad during the past few games.