Kaizer Chiefs coach Gavin Hunt says striker Samir Nurkovic leads by example and has a mental toughness the club need more of – this is why the Serbian was handed the armband this past Saturday.

Chiefs’ top-scorer from last season missed the first three months of the 2020-21 season through injury, while also dealing with constant rumours linking the forward with a move to north Africa and the Middle East.

The Glamour Boys struggled in his absence as they found goals hard to come by, which in turn had them struggling to pick up victories.

But since his return to action at the start of the year, the Serbian has turned things around for the club by providing a constant goal threat and focal point for Hunt’s team.

In their most recent game – a 0-0 draw with Stellenbosch FC at the Danie Craven Stadium this past Saturday – Nurkovic captained the team in the absence of the injured Ramahlwe Mphahlele and Hunt says he will do so again in future.

‘He [Nurkovic] leads by example. He’s what we need in the future of this football club,’ the four-time PSL title-winning coach told the Sowetan.

‘We need people who have game toughness, who are mentally tough and I think he’s one of them. So, it was a perfect decision [to make him captain].

‘It’s something that will be going on. But Rama had been the captain for the past couple of games. When he comes back, he will be the captain.

‘I thought Daniel was excellent, fantastic, he swept up well,’ Hunt said. ‘There is a lot of competition here and people need to work hard to get back in the team.’

Chiefs are in action twice this week as they play against TS Galaxy on Tuesday, before a big clash in the Soweto Derby clash with Orlando Pirates on Saturday.