‘Do you think I’m bothered?’ – Man Utd flop Zaha sends message to Red Devils ahead of Galatasaray clash
Galatasaray winger Wilfried Zaha insists he’s not “bothered at all” that his move to Manchester United failed to work out ahead of their Champions League clash.
Zaha, who left Crystal Palace on a free in the summer to join Galatasaray, moved to Man Utd in January 2013 as one of the hottest prospects in English football.
But the winger was limited to just two Premier League appearances during his time at Old Trafford and swiftly returned to Crystal Palace after just 18 months playing for the Red Devils, which also included a loan spell at Cardiff City.
Zaha has already made an impression at Galatasaray with one goal and one assist in 176 minutes in all competitions so far this term and now the Ivory Coast international is preparing to face Man Utd in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
When asked whether it still irritated him that his move to Man Utd didn’t work out, Zaha replied: “I’ll be honest, when you look at my face, do you think I’m bothered at all? No.
“Realistically, I think I went through a phase where you either build from it or you die out from it. And me personally I was never going to die out from it.
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“It built my character for me to just continue my career because I was determined to not let my career die out because I went somewhere and it didn’t work out. I was just determined to reach where I wanted to reach and yes, I’m here today.”
Zaha insists he holds no added motivation for Tuesday’s match because it’s Man Utd, the former Palace winger added: “It was a normal league game up against United, they just happened to be against United. I had my past here when I was 19 or 20. When I went back to Palace and had league games against them, I just played against them like work.
“I felt no different about playing them. Man United was a team I was at a long, long time ago. 10 years forward I’m 30 years old and I feel like I’ve matured in my game. I’m at a big club in Galatasaray.
“We have a lot of talent, we have a lot of experience. I think we’re ready for tomorrow. We have players who can hurt them tomorrow. Me personally I’m looking forward to the game. I’m a player who plays with his heart on my sleeve, I’m very passionate.
“I think I reciprocate that love I get. Obviously, the time I’ve been here with Galatasaray already, the love I’ve got from the fans and team-mates has been amazing. As soon as I step on the pitch I want to show what I can to express myself even more and get us back to winning games in Europe.”
