In January 2013, the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson made Wilfried Zaha his final signing for Manchester United before retiring in the same year. Regrettably, Zaha’s stint at the club did not go well as expected, as he struggled to make a lasting impression on both David Moyes and Louis Van Gaal. Ultimately, it was under the latter’s management that Zaha’s permanent return to Crystal Palace was sanctioned.
Wilfried Zaha established himself as one of the most consistent players in the Premier League at Crystal Palace before moving to Turkish side Galatasaray on a free transfer in July. The Englishman made his return to Old Trafford on Tuesday with a goal and an accompanying post-match cheeky remark.
Zaha takes sly dig at Man Utd after UCL win
There has always been bad blood between Wilfried Zaha and Manchester United, as the former Crystal Palace winger has repeatedly expressed his frustration at the lack of trust during his time at the club. The 30-year-old was signed as a teenager by Sir Alex Ferguson but couldn’t make an impression on his Scot’s successors, David Moyes and Louis Van Gaal.
Zaha’s new club Galatasaray had a crunch encounter with Manchester United on Tuesday night at Old Trafford, and it didn’t take long for the winger to find the net against his old club. He outmuscled Diogo Dalot, who deflected Zaha’s shot past Andre Onana to make it 1-1 after United had gone ahead through Rasmus Hojlund six minutes earlier.
Zaha had the last laugh as Gala ran out 3-2 winners to go second in the group, leaving United bottom with two losses from two games and seven goals conceded. In a cheeky social media post, Zaha said, “God’s timing is the best timing. Live for these moments, especially Champions League nights. So proud of the boys today.”
Wilfried Zaha talks on his horror spell at Man Utd
During his pre-match interview, Zaha opened up on his horror spell at Manchester United, which saw him leaving the club just a few years after signing.
“Wilfried, you mentioned that it’s been ten years since you played for this football club. Does what happened then bother you at all?” one interviewer asked.
“I’ll be honest when you look at my face, do you think I’m bothered at all? Realistically, I think I went through a phase where you either build from it or die out from it, and personally, I was never going to die out from it. It built my career for me to continue because I was determined not to let my career die out because I went somewhere and it didn’t work out,” he responded.
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