Tue Feb 03, 2015 4:52 pm
Manchester United winger signs permanent deal with Crystal Palace after two-year United stay
Wed February 3, 2015
Wilfried Zaha
Manchester United have sold Wilfried Zaha to his former club Crystal Palace in a move that was confirmed on deadline day. Haha was Sir Alex Ferguson’s final signing for the club before retiring at the end of the 2012/13 season, with Zaha signing in the January and being loaned back to Palace for the remainder of the season, which was when they earned promotion to the Barclays Premier League with the player scoring twice in the play-off final. At that time, there was a lot of hope that Zaha could be that player United needed on the wing, with Nani seemingly frustrating at that period in time, but new manager David Moyes did not give the player a chance and he was subsequently loaned to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Cardiff City for the remainder of the 2013/14 season, where the player also failed to shine.
Louis van Gaal became the manager at the start of the current season, utilising Zaha during the pre-season tour of the United States of America, but the player signed for Palace on loan for the whole season, which suggested that he was not part of the Dutchman’s plans for the future, which is a shame. Clearly Van Gaal has some big plans for United, which we may see materialise in the coming summer. Zaha has not been a regular in the Crystal Palace lineup this season, but with Alan Pardew taking over the side, Zaha did feature more as the former Newcastle United manager did try and sign the players a few times, once on loan whilst he was at United. The England U21 international only made four appearances for United, with many supporters unhappy that he was not given a fair chance, but with many journalists suggesting it was down to the player and his attitude.
Speaking to the official Crystal Palace website about his deadline day return to his former side, Zaha gave his reasons for making the move from Manchester United. Obviously this is only his view, and he does not suggest the failure of him being unable to earn a place in the squad, instead he spoke about not getting much game time, but that is something you earn, in my opinion anyway. Zaha said:
“I wasn’t getting much game time at Manchester United so took the opportunity of coming back on loan this season and to now have the chance to make the move permanent and come home to Selhurst Park is something I’m delighted about.
“For me to be a better player I need to play more games and having a gaffer that, I know, has great trust in me gives me the confidence I need to help me improve my game.”
United signed Zaha for £10 million in January 2013 in a deal which could have risen to £15 million. The fee for the player on his return to Palace is undisclosed, with reports suggesting that United will receive £6 million for the player. Clearly United will be blamed by the media for the failure of Zaha at the club, but if he was a player that was able to hold down a place at the club, he would have done that. The fact that he played a lot in Warren Joyce’s U21 side, and against Stoke City in a fixture in December 2013, Joyce was heard shouting instructions at the player, who was not performing well in that match. His failure to shine for Cardiff City and so far with Palace this season, suggests to me that United are better off without the player, but it was a shame to get rid of him, a player who has talent, but also some flaws.