How has Wilfried Zaha matured since his return to Crystal Palace?

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He was tall, but lanky, lacking the strength to hold off elite and bulky defenders. He was a tantalising dribbler but painfully immature on the ball, often trying to take on one defender too many and losing the opportunity for a venomous cross. He was passionate but short-tempered, being criticised for his bad temperament and poor mentality.

Wilfried Zaha, at 24 years of age, might arguably be beyond the point in his career to be considered a promising young talent but despite his non-conformity to the stereotype of a young and promising player Wilfried Zaha, now, more than ever, is demonstrating English football that he is reaching his final bloom.

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After an astounding 2012/2013 season in the Championship with his boyhood Crystal Palace, in which he left opposition players for dead with his pace, acceleration, and flamboyant dribbling and got all of Selhurst Park serenading each other in renditions of “he’s just too good for you”, Zaha became Sir Alex Ferguson’s last hand-picked prodigy when he joined Manchester United for a reported £10 million, plus add-ons, in January 2013.

He was immediately loaned back to the Eagles where he helped carry Ian Holloway’s men to the Championship play-offs. His epic brace in the second leg of the semi-finals at the Amex Stadium against arch-rivals Brighton and Hove Albion eternalized Zaha as a South London legend, before he won the penalty in the final that sent the Eagles into the promised land of the Premier League.

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His first year at United was not what he wished for. He quickly fell out of favor with David Moyes and complaints and reports of an attitude problem became tied to his name. Zaha was loaned out to Cardiff City for the second half of the season but failed to shine. At the start of 2014-2015, Palace came knocking again and offered Zaha a chance for regular Premier League football.

The fairytale was just starting and Zaha began to retake the form of who he was in the Championship with his ability to set the tone of a Palace match with his take-ons. However, Zaha’s end product never seem to come. In that first season -back on loan at Palace – despite impressing enough for a permanent transfer back to his boyhood roots at SE25, he was unable to consistently deliver an end product; his crosses fell flat and often missed the mark and he lacked confidence when one-on-one with keepers.

In all of 2014/2015, Zaha assisted only two goals and in 2015/2016, once he was a regular starter, he only set up one goal despite creating 41 chances. This season Zaha has been far more productive, setting up six goals and also bagging five himself, including a terrific half-volley against West Bromwich Albion which demonstrated fine technical prowess in front of goal.

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Lately, the winger has seemingly shrugged off his demons and freed himself mentally. His transfer of allegiance to his natal Ivory Coast eliminated the hoodoo regarding his unredeemed competitive appearances for England. Meanwhile, his uptake in goals and production have put him on the map of Champions League-searching sides such as Mauricio Pocchetino’s Tottenham and German side RB Leipzig.

Physically, the Ivorian winger has developed a strength that finely compliments his speed. While Alan Pardew’s tenure has a sour taste for many Palace fans, one of the best legacies left by the English manager was the curtailment of Zaha’s volatile temperament into a motivation tool for the rest of the team. When the winger gets frustrated nowadays, his reaction is more positive as he fights harder for the ball and ups his intensity. During the barren spell under Pardew, Zaha was the player dragging a lifeless side to results with his passion.

He is 24 so he is no longer considered “young”, per se. Yet, Wilfried Zaha might still see his career come to what many hoped should Palace, or at least himself, stay in the Premier League and move towards bigger and better things.

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