Wilfried Zaha reckons he won’t be hindered by the move of Bakary Sako to Crystal Palace this summer, providing the ex-Manchester United winger with more competition. Sako moved to Selhurst Park on a free transfer from Wolves and made his league debut – playing the full 90 minutes – against Aston Villa last weekend.
However, Zaha believes the competition provided by the Malian player can only be a good thing for both him and the team, and he’s quoted by South London Press as saying: “You’re going to have competition – it’s the Premier League. You can’t depend on just one player or two players throughout the season.
“It will just make me work even harder. I don’t really mind – it’s a fight to get in the starting line-up.”
Zaha completed his permanent move back to Crystal Palace in the winter transfer window earlier this year, and featured regularly for The Eagles last season even before making his move permanent, having spent the first half of the year on loan at the London club.
He’s already played 3 times in the Premier League so far this year, starting each of Palace’s first three games, and is pleased with the way the start to the season has gone: “It’s not a bad start for me to have two goals. I’m buzzing from the goal on Tuesday.
“It’s all about getting in the box. I’m going to focus on playing well first, because if I’m not getting the ball or doing anything then I’m not going to get the chance to score.
“I’m going to focus on keeping the ball and if I manage to score goals I’ll be happy to get them.”
The 22-year-old earned his fourth start of the season in the Capital One Cup during the week, and played the full match including extra-time, topping it off with a headed goal to seal a protracted but satisfying 4-1 win against Shrewsbury.
Speaking about his goal, Zaha said: “I surprised myself. The last time [I scored with my head] was probably against Brighton.
“Pape was moving so fast, but I knew he was going to put the ball in. The gaffer says get into the box and luckily I got in there on time.”
However, Zaha also praised his performance against the League One side: “I’m more of a confidence player. Once one of my tricks came off I managed to have a better game from there. Scoring the goal just topped it off.”
The England international has played 39 times in all competitions since his return to The Eagles on loan last summer, scoring six times.
