Gareth Southgate’s England are up against Ivory Coast for a friendly game which is going to take place in Wembley stadium. Ahead of the match, Southgate has revealed he is not surprised by Zaha’s switch of allegiance to the Ivory Coast.
The former U-21 England player decided to switch his allegiance due to a lack of opportunities for England. He started playing for Ivory Coast in 2016 and has participated in three African Cup of nations. Moreover, the Crystal Palace winger has netted 5 times in his 26 appearances for Ivory Coast.
Southgate on Wilfried Zaha
Zaha who represented England in two friendlies moved to Africa to take his International career to next level. The Ex-Manchester United winger was deprived of his chances due to the emergence of other young players like Raheem Sterling and Lingard. Also, the presence of experienced players like Adam Lallana delimited his chances.
Zaha is set to face England soon, with Southgate clearing the air on the circumstances surrounding his decision. Gareth Southgate has spoken about how Zaha decided to join Ivory Coast. Zaha’s desire to play for England was never a question for Southgate.
Zaha is the center man for Crystal Palace for quite some time now and is also performing well under Vieira. He switched to Palace in 2015 and has made 239 appearances and netted 55 times for the London club. Moreover, he is also well appreciated by his new boss Patrick Vieira.
Moreover, Southgate also provided his insights on seeing Declan Rice captaining the Country. The West Ham midfielder has settled well in the side. He has also performed brilliantly in big competitions like Euro 2020. The Irish-born Rice switched his allegiance to England in 2019.
There are plenty of leaders among this England team. Jordan Henderson, Harry Maguire, Conor Coady, Ward Prowse, Tyrone Mings all captain their respective clubs. Furthermore, young players like Declan Rice and Marc Guehi are also captains of their clubs.
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