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Wilfried Zaha Man Utd regret revealed as ex-boss pleads with Arsenal to make deal happen
WILFRIED ZAHA would have become a top player at Manchester United if Sir Alex Ferguson stayed at the club.
That is the opinion of former Crystal Palace manager Ian Holloway.
Zaha joined Manchester United from Palace in January 2013 aged 20 and returned to the Eagles, then managed by Holloway, on loan for the remainder of the campaign.
However, at the end of that season Ferguson decided to retire as United won their 20th top-flight title.
That meant Zaha never got the chance of playing under the legendary Scot, who was replaced by David Moyes.
Sir Alex would have believed in that and saw that joy of the skill that he’s got
After making just four first-team appearances for the Red Devils, Zaha completed a permanent return to Palace in 2015 to end an unsuccessful time at Old Trafford.
The winger, now 26, is keen on a move to Arsenal this summer, with the Gunners having a £40million bid turned down last Monday.
Holloway believes the time is now right for Zaha to once again take that step up to one of the Premier League’s top teams.
But he says only if Arsenal stump up the cash Palace want for him.
“I gave him to Sir Alex, I would have thought Sir Alex would have seen the purity and the beauty,” Holloway said on talkSPORT.
“We talk about [Cristiano] Ronaldo, I swear to you, Wilf can do those things.
“But he needs to know when to do them and when not to do them.
“Sir Alex would have believed in that and saw that joy of the skill that he’s got and help him learn how to use it.
“It’s all about timing, life’s about timing, ‘when do I do that?’.
“Now he’s bringing that into his game.
“Can you imagine the rest of the team moving the ball around and they roll it to Wilf on the edge of the box? I mean come on.
“Wilf needs this, I believe, right now.
“I know this is going to really upset Crystal Palace fans but not if they pay the right amount of money.”