Thursday 26 November 2015 17:18, UK
His old boss Ian Holloway feels Wilfried Zaha could have been the next Cristiano Ronaldo. And yet, after struggling at Manchester United, it's uncertain whether or not the Crystal Palace winger will fulfil his potential. With Holloway's help, Adam Bate examines a career that could go either way…
It was the second round of the Capital One Cup and Crystal Palace had just beaten Shrewsbury Town in extra-time. Ryan Woods had briefly shone for the League Two side, but tiring legs did for them in the end as Palace eventually ran out 4-1 winners.
Only a few hardy souls remained in the Selhurst Park press room that night in August and, with deadlines to beat and trains to catch, few of those still loitering were anticipating anything too enlightening. Perhaps given that mood, the visiting manager was happy to talk. He'd witnessed something special.
"I mean, Zaha," began Micky Mellon. "That's a freak of nature. I don't think I've ever seen anything like that before, live. He was sprinting as quickly in the last minute of extra-time as he was in the first minute. If we had Wilfried Zaha on our side we'd look a different team."
Mellon isn't the first manager to be left awestruck by Zaha's capabilities, and judging by his form for Palace this season, the list of bewitched bosses is growing. Ian Holloway, of course, has seen it all before and can only smile when Mellon's reaction is relayed to him.
"He is a natural athlete and the skills he's worked on all his life are mesmerising," Holloway tells Sky Sports. "I've never seen anyone who can manipulate the football like that. His ability level is pure genius. You never know what he's going to do, because he can do almost anything.
"He is a freak of nature as he can move his weight from right to left so quickly and when he moves the ball past you, he's gone like a shot. If he was a car, his 0 to 60 would be incredible. Phenomenally quicker than any other car." As the song goes, Zaha's too good for you.
"I thought that was a bit arrogant at first but it's actually true," adds Holloway. "He did something in a game which I've never seen done. He flicked the ball over Danny Murphy's head and Danny was completely lost. He didn't know where the ball was or how Wilf had managed to do it.
"He loves that side of the game. He laughs when he does something like that. It's so innocent. It's a joy. At Crystal Palace some of the things he did on the training pitch would leave his team-mates clapping and some of us laughing because it was so ridiculously good.
"In a naive situation when you'd give someone a ball and tell him to go beat a defender, I've never seen anything like it. It's a joy to watch. He doesn't do it every time. Jefferson Montero at Swansea probably beats his man more consistently but I'd pay to watch the style that Zaha beats people."
It's true to say there's little like Zaha in full flow. Those limbs could look gangly if controlled by a lesser mortal, but with him at the helm, it's closer to perfection. Dribbling skills fused with pace makes for a potent concoction and Premier League full-backs are anxious to avoid a dose.
Few get to skip their round. Going into the weekend, Zaha ranks second behind Montero in the Premier League for successful dribbles, having had fewer minutes on the pitch than the rest of the top 10. He's also among the top dozen players in the country for successful open-play crosses and clear-cut chances created.
It's the sort of return that might have Palace boss Alan Pardew purring. For a coach keen to style himself as the man who embraces the mavericks, Zaha's form is a testament to Pardew's influence. But even he is wary of showering praise. Instead, there have been words of caution.
"The issue with Wilf is that he's a fabulous footballer," said Pardew in September after a particularly uninspired effort at Tottenham. Ostensibly, this was a non-sequitur. But it was the prelude to a critique that will be all too familiar to the likes of David Moyes and Louis van Gaal.
"I'm trying to get him to understand that every moment in every game is very important. It's about concentration, about having that same desire to defend and attack, movement and everything that a top player produces. Unfortunately, I didn't think he did that."
Zaha was dropped for the next game against Watford but came off the bench to buy a match-winning penalty and offer a reminder of his trickery. "Hopefully this is a lesson learned for him that he cannot let his standards slip," said Pardew.
However, the following week there was another dip and Pardew was soon talking of the need for "a little bit a wake-up call about everything to do with football". He added: "There are not many players in the country that are quite as good as Wilf at taking somebody on."
As so often, the criticism is couched in praise but the message is clear. And memories begin to stir. There's the tale of Zaha turning up for Manchester United's pre-season tour sporting jeans and trainers, while the rest of the squad wore the requisite club blazers.
The reports of Zaha's behaviour on England U21 duty at the European Championships in 2013 are equally unimpressive. Still eligible for the team in 2015, Gareth Southgate elected instead to show his hand. There was no room at St George's Park for the wildcard.
If Sir Alex Ferguson hadn't retired, then Wilfried Zaha could've been the next Cristiano Ronaldo. I honestly believe that.
But it would be foolish to give up on Zaha altogether. The talent is too vast. And yet, Holloway feels one huge opportunity has already been missed. "If Sir Alex Ferguson hadn't retired, then Wilfried Zaha could've been the next Cristiano Ronaldo," he says. "I honestly believe that." It's quite a claim.
"He was the most talked about player in the country at the time. It probably was a little too much for him. He was too immature to deal with that. Fergie asked me whether he could win him games at the highest level and I said 'absolutely' as long as he started to understand his role without the ball.
"What he has to learn is when to unleash his tricks and when to pass it. He also has to learn how to move when he hasn't got the ball. I was always on at him to score more goals by getting in the box, but he waits around for the ball to come to him. He wants players to pass to him.
"There were three things he had to work on. I couldn't work with him on when he had the ball as he was a genius, but I tried to teach him how to go and get it, his movement to make space and his defensive structure to help the team. I still believe he can do all of them as he wants to learn."
Holloway's conviction is persuasive and Pardew too was impressed by the maturity shown by his player in a recent newspaper interview. Clearly, Zaha's supporters are still ready to believe. "He's a nice boy," concludes Holloway. "Probably too nice."
Having turned 23 last week, it's time for Zaha to show his nasty streak in the right way. It's time for Zaha to show that those natural skills that have so astonished experienced observers like Mellon and Holloway are, in fact, no freak at all and he can instead produce them every week. It's time for Zaha to fulfil his potential.
