Wilfried Zaha hits back after Gareth Southgate claimed the Crystal Palace winger lacked passion to play for England
Former Manchester United flier who finally chose Ivory Coast feels his 'desire should never have been publicly questioned'
Sponsored by
WILFRIED ZAHA has fired back after Gareth Southgate claimed the Crystal Palace flier lacked the passion needed to play for England.
Three Lions boss Southgate told yesterday how he failed to persuade Zaha to miss the Africa Cup of Nations with Ivory Coast in January.
But Zaha's representative, Will Salthouse, of Unique Sports Management, said tonight the former Manchester United winger's "'desire' or 'passion' should never have been publicly questioned".
Keep up to date with ALL the ENGLAND FOOTBALL news
Southgate had tried to convince Zaha to think again over ditching his England career but admitted yesterday: "He had already made his mind up.
"If you don’t feel that 100 per cent passion of playing for England, then I’m not sure it’s for me to sell that to you."
Salthouse, though, issued a statement this evening to "set the record straight".
He said: "The 'private' meeting with Mr Southgate was very amicable.
"However, the fact remains that Wilfried made his decision to play for the Ivory Coast prior to Mr Southgate being appointed interim and subsequently permanent England manager.
"It was Wilfried's personal choice and it was his right as a senior player to accept the opportunity to represent his nation of birth and that of his family heritage.
"His 'desire' or 'passion' should never have been publicly questioned for making that decision.
"Wilfried is very proud of his family and very proud to represent the Ivory Coast, most recently demonstrated by his performance against Russia."
Zaha, 24 played 13 times for England Under-21s and two friendlies for the senior team before switching to the Ivorians.
He was born in Abidjan but moved to London aged four.
His six caps for the Ivory Coast include yesterday's 1-1 draw with Senegal, which was abandoned late on after a pitch invasion, and a 2-0 win in Russia last Friday, when he hit a dazzling solo goal.
