“I want to say that I am happy with my return to Zamalek, and I promise to repeat the same achievements that I did with the team during my first stint,” Ferreira told a press conference at the club’s headquarters on Sunday.

“I never thought I would return to Zamalek after a 47-year-long career of coaching, however, I agreed to the offer because I enjoy taking on difficult missions,” the Portuguese coach added.

Zamalek are currently on a hot plate after leaving the ongoing CAF Champions League season from the group stage after placing third in Group D with only two points. They are also in third place on the Egyptian Premier League’s table with 25 points after playing 11 games.

Ferreira’s immediate task will be keeping the ship steady amid a myriad of problems hampering Zamalek.

Several of the team’s stars, including midfield linchpin Tarek Hamed and Moroccan winger Achraf Bencharki, will be free to leave the White Knights in the summer when their contracts conclude, as the cash-strapped club is unable to strike new deals with them.

“We have to work hard and stop speaking about the negative points,” Ferreira said.

“We aim to win the Egyptian Premier League title and the Egypt Cup as well to qualify for the next season of the CAF Champions League.”

Ferreira quickly made his presence known after taking charge of Zamalek for the first time in February 2015, instilling much-needed discipline and masterminding an efficient 4-3-2-1 formation that saw the White Knights win the domestic league title for the first time in 11 years.

He also earned Zamalek its first double since 1988 with a win over arch-rivals Ahly in the Egypt Cup final but left in November of the same year, citing Mansour’s attempts to interfere in his work and the club’s failure to fulfil their financial obligations towards him.

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