Bidvest Wits coach Gavin Hunt has backed Daylon Claasen and Steven Pienaar to show their quality in their Absa Premiership following a difficult start.

The defending PSL champions have made a torrid start to the new campaign going and are without a victory in the first four games of the league  and despite large claims suggesting that Hunt’s mass new arrivals are to blame for the team’s lacklustre form, the former SuperSport United mentor defended his acquisitions.

‘As you know, we lost one or two players from last season, so we obviously brought a guy like Steven [Pienaar] in and I think he’s been hugely influential in the dressing room,’ he said in post-match comments after the draw with Kaizer Chiefs.

‘I mean, he hasn’t got the legs anymore, but the brain moves and you saw tonight. I thought he was excellent under difficult circumstances – having gone a man down.

‘I was thinking, “I need to take him out’ but then I tried to keep him going for as long as I could.

‘Daylon also didn’t play much football last season, I’m also trying to find out where he plays in the different systems or whatever you want to call it.

‘That also takes a little bit of time. Synergy takes time, you know, those types of things… But both of them have been excellent in training, good professionals, good ambassadors for the club, and good people – that’s more important.”

‘But both of them have been excellent in training, good professionals, good ambassadors for the club, and good people – that’s more important,’ he concluded.

Wits search for their first win of the season when they travel to face AmaZulu at the King Zwelithini Stadium with kickoff set for 20:00.

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