Wilfried Zaha frozen out by England for something that happened years ago – Neil Ashton column
Crystal Palace winger plumped for the Ivory Coast after Three Lions washed their hands of him three years ago
WILFRIED ZAHA has a reputation as a bit of a bad boy in England circles.
One night, one mistake, one error of judgment is all it took for Gareth Southgate to end Zaha’s England career.
For that reason, the Crystal Palace winger, 24, is about to turn his back on the country to play for Ivory Coast at next month’s African Nations Cup.
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The reality is England washed their hands of him three years ago.
No matter how well he plays for Palace, no matter how influential he is, there appears to be no way back for the player.
His goal against Hull last weekend, rifling a shot beyond David Marshall, is one of his best in Palace colours.
Southgate remains unmoved, though.
Zaha has been excluded because he returned to the squad two hours late after being given permission to celebrate his 21st birthday in 2013.
Not ideal, but it is not a million miles away from the situation Wayne Rooney, Adam Lallana and Jordan Henderson, along with others, are in after last month’s antics.
Of course they will play for England again. Zaha, it seems, will not.
It is some price to pay, especially for a young player.
To go back to November 2013, England’s Under-21s had just beaten Finland 3-0 and had a few days to kill before the gimme against San Marino a few days later.
Zaha, along with the rest of the squad, was given permission to leave the camp overnight.
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When he reported a couple of hours late — heavy traffic, an accident on the road, anything could have happened — Southgate made him substitute for the 9-0 win over San Marino.
It was not an especially easy time for Zaha because he was still struggling to adapt to life at Manchester United following his £15million move from Palace.
He had played a handful of games in United colours and never lost. But David Moyes did not like the cut of his jib. Neither did Southgate.
Zaha has not played for the Under-21s since and word of his tardiness soon reached the next senior head coach, Roy Hodgson.
He has not been involved, at any level, since the Finland game.
It is one of the reasons Ivory Coast will benefit from Zaha’s rich vein of form when they play their first game against Togo on January 17.
Zaha has been seduced, with Didier Drogba and Gervinho on the phone to persuade him to forget about playing for England again.
It seems to have worked.
England do not have another game until March, when they face Germany in a friendly in Dortmund before moving on to play a World Cup qualifier with Lithuania.
There is nothing to suggest Zaha, capped by Hodgson in the 4-2 defeat against Sweden in November 2011, will be involved.
It is even more puzzling because Andros Townsend, his Palace team-mate, is still in Southgate’s plans but it out of favour under Pardew.
Once Zaha has committed to Ivory Coast by registering with Fifa, there will be no way back.
Perhaps Southgate believes he can get by over the next four years with Theo Walcott, Jesse Lingard, Raheem Sterling, Lallana and Townsend?
Zaha is an alternative, another option at a time when England are struggling for numbers.
He has undoubtedly matured since he returned to Palace, playing some of the best football of his career under Pardew.
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The Palace manager has been championing him of late, convinced that he is good enough to play for his country again.
Sadly for Zaha, it looks he is too late.
Pep is on guard
PEP GUARDIOLA had good reason to bring up the idea that even he could be sacked following Manchester City’s depressing run of form.
The City Football Group, the club’s wealthy benefactors, are far from happy with the Sky Blues’ sequence of results under the great man.
Rash in need of Mor focus
JOSE MOURINHO has every right to be concerned about the guidance Marcus Rashford is getting off the field.
Mourinho is concerned that his Manchester United striker, without a goal in 17 games for club and country, has lost focus and concentration.
Since Rashford, 19, signed a new contract he has bought a big plot of land in Bowden, Cheshire and is having a seven-bedroom mansion built on it.
When it is complete, he will have more than enough room for the fleet of Mercedes cars that have arrived in recent months.
Rashford certainly has the money to do what he wants, but Mourinho is concerned that the hunger and the desire are missing after he was put on the big money by United.
Rashford has not scored since the 4-1 victory over Leicester at Old Trafford at the end of September.
After failing to carry out Mourinho’s tactical instructions when he was sent on against Tottenham at the weekend, the United boss wants the forward to focus on his football.
However, with £30,000 a week in his pocket, that is not always easy.
Coppell is having a blast
STEVE COPPELL, shamelessly discarded by English football, takes Kerala Blasters into the Indian Super League final against Atletico de Kolkata on Sunday.
Blasters, who finished bottom of the table last season, have been transformed under the guidance of ex-Crystal Palace boss Coppell and his assistant Wally Downes.
Coppell, lost to the game in this country, will be immortalised in India if he can lead Blasters to victory over Kolkata in Sunday’s final in Kochi.