“The only thing that I could think of was the bad game against Wigan in the Community Shield”.
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He wasn’t featured much under then manager David Moyes, and that somehow spurred on rumors that Zaha was sleeping with/had a relationship withMoyes’ daughter Lauren.
“I played for England and then zero games”.
Zaha has made 29 appearances since returning to Palace in February this year, and could feature against Man United when the two sides meet on Saturday.
“As a manager you kind of make your stand and make it clear, and I have done that with him”. Next time I won’t speak to him, he’ll be out of the team because he didn’t do what was asked of him.
United signed Zaha in the 2013 January transfer window from Crystal Palace, but the tricky winger was sent straight back to Selhurst Park on loan for the rest of that season, as he helped spearhead their promotion to the Premier League under Ian Holloway. It stresses me out if I mess up – I beat myself up – but I just thought: “you have seen me play in pre-season and you have seen that I am at least decent enough to score a goal or something”. “Then the rumours started basically because he just stopped playing me (Moyes) with no actual reason that I knew”.
“Playing Manchester United is like playing any other team in the league now for me, I don’t feel any way about them anymore”, he concluded. When I don’t play well nobody needs to say anything to me. It’s not like I want to leave him out to get that great reaction, I want that great reaction every week.
‘I had to go to training knowing that I wasn’t going to be playing. Maybe it would’ve been different with Ferguson, but I was still learning – I’d just come from the Championship.
Dialogue is encouraged in south London, though.
Zaha, however, is not looking back and is in the process of buying a house in London – “the main thing for me, where my family is”.
Pardew points to Yohan Cabaye as the ideal role model for Zaha and the rest of his young players. ‘I live my life fine now. I just come play’.
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Zaha claims he has no idea how the rumours started but they have had a negative impact on his career.
