Crystal Palace continued their fine run of form since new boss Alan Pardew took over the helm at the start of 2015. Their latest victory; 2-1 away at Stoke, lifted them to eleventh in the table and has all but guaranteed their Premier League survival for another season.
In the bottom three when he took over, Pardew has played a big part in the clubs revival, but one of their star players has also been instrumental in helping Palace climb the table.
Wilfried Zaha scored the winner at the Britannia a week ago, his second goal in as many weeks, and alongside teammate Yannick Bolasie has formed an impressive attacking force on either side of Palace’s midfield.
The 22-year-old took the Championship by storm as Palace sealed promotion to the Premier League back in 2013. Having already secured a dream move to Manchester United, Zaha helped Palace through the play-offs with two goals against fierce rivals Brighton in the semi-final, before winning the decisive penalty in the final to help see off Watford in what was his farewell appearance.
However, the winger endured a difficult and frustrating campaign at Old Trafford the following season, failing to hold down a regular position in the team with question marks surrounding his attitude.
The fact he made just four appearances for the Red Devils told its own story that something was clearly not right between the player and manager at the time, David Moyes. He was later loaned out to Cardiff for the remainder of the season, before putting an end to his United nightmare by returning to Palace the following summer on an initial loan deal.
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Back at the club where it all began, Zaha found his confidence once more, clearly happy at returning to a team he loved where the fans and staff appreciated him.
And after impressing during his loan spell, Pardew made it one of his first duties to bring him back on a permanent basis as the Palace star set about getting his career back on track.
Zaha is back playing with a smile on his face and the freedom to express his undoubted quality. He has the ability to beat defenders with ease, something that he is clearly far more comfortable doing at Palace than he was with the pressure of 70,000 fans watching him at Old Trafford. His pace and trickery make him a handful for any full-back, and if Pardew can continue to keep him on the right path there’s no reason why he can’t become one of the league’s leading wingers.
It could be argued that the United deal came too soon in his career, but whatever the case it’s clear he wasn’t given a fair crack at proving himself at the highest level. But despite the apparent hurt this will have caused him, he needs to put the bad experience behind him and use it as an inspiration to recapture the form that saw him end up their in the first place.
Playing week in week out at the top level under Pardew certainly provides him with an adequate platform to do just that, and as long as he keeps his head down and concentrates on his football, there’s no limit to what he can achieve second time around.
It’s clear he has all the attributes to succeed in the Premier League, and his performances this season have proved it. Many people seem to forget just how young he is, and so there’s still plenty of time for him to develop into the world class player he can become.
Just like Palace, Zaha is thriving once again and is certainly one to keep a close eye on over the next couple of seasons. And who knows maybe one day we could see back in a red shirt at Old Trafford.
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