Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Wilfried Zaha: Why Manchester United Fans Should Be Excited About Him

Many Manchester United fans were left scratching their heads when it was announced in January that Wilfried Zaha had been signed for upwards of £10 million.

Loaned back immediately to promotion-chasing Crystal Palace, there hasn't even been an opportunity to see the man in action at Old Trafford.

There were questions asked about the transfer, the main one being why had so much money been spent on someone who had never played a game of Premier League football before in his career?

This article will analyse the strengths and weaknesses of the Ivory Coast-born, England international and seek to rest minds at ease.

He was often criticized by fans of Palace who felt he was a bit of a show pony in his early days, trying too often to beat his man and go for the spectacular.

In November last year, Zaha made his international debut, playing for Roy Hodgson's England side in a friendly against Sweden.

As well as helping Palace to the Championship promotion playoffs, he scored two crucial goals in the semi-final second leg against Brighton. He will now play one last game for the Eagles at Wembley, in the playoff final.

He may not look the bulkiest 5'11", but Zaha is a natural athlete. He is incredibly quick and has excellent upper-body strength.

Like a young Cristiano Ronaldo, he is never afraid to take on an opposing defender and show off a new trick or two at the same time.

But the point is that he is capable of beating his man one-on-one, something Ashley Young, the Red Devils' current first-choice on the left wing, isn't.

If there are slightly worrying traits about Zaha, it is that he sometimes has a tendency to disappear in games. When this happens, Holloway switches him all over the park to get him more of the ball, but this doesn't always work.

He has great stamina and can run and run up and down the flanks. His defensive ethic isn't great, but that can be taught by the Carrington training staff.

His ball control and crossing abilities still need to be worked on, but again, these are flaws that can be ironed out.

But if his track record is anything to go by, the side will take the form of a 4-2-3-1, with more traditional wingers.

Which means that Wilfried Zaha will spend most of his time playing on the left wing, unless there is a drastic change in personnel over the summer, which is unlikely.

He is not yet a natural enough goalscorer to play as the lone striker. His brace against Brighton last week was impressive, but he had only scored one goal before that in the Championship since the new year.

Over time, it is certainly possible that he could play as a wide forward or striker, but we're talking about what immediate impact he can make here.

It would be unfair to label him "one for the future." He will play next term, and I am confident he will make an impact. He is definitely someone to get excited about.

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