Zaha poised to go out on loan

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JULY 20: Wilfried Zaha of Manchester United competes with Mark Bridge of the All-Stars during the match between the A-League All-Stars and Manchester United at ANZ Stadium on July 20, 2013 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JULY 20: Wilfried Zaha of Manchester United competes with Mark Bridge of the All-Stars during the match between the A-League All-Stars and Manchester United at ANZ Stadium on July 20, 2013 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)

Published Oct 4, 2013

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London – Wilfried Zaha is set to go out on loan in the January transfer window, looking for first-team experience in the Premier League.

Manchester United manager David Moyes has not used the £15million winger, 21 next month, since the Community Shield as he continues a policy of selecting experienced players in his opening period as Old Trafford boss.

Zaha has instead turned out for the club’s development side, but is aware regular top-flight football is required if he is to stand a chance of making Roy Hodgson’s squad should England qualify for next year’s World Cup in Brazil.

Crystal Palace remain keen to take him back, but Swansea, West Brom, Stoke and Newcastle are also interested and appear likelier destinations given their styles and standing in the Premier League.

Zaha, who was Sir Alex Ferguson’s final signing at United, has been named in a matchday squad by Moyes three times – in the Premier League games against Swansea and Crystal Palace as well as the Capital One Cup tie with Liverpool – but each time failed to make it off the bench.

After winning two England caps, the last against Scotland at Wembley in August, Zaha was named in Gareth Southgate’s squad yesterday for the upcoming 2015 Under 21 European Championship qualifiers against San Marino and Lithuania.

Zaha’s team-mate Ryan Giggs has admitted there are no excuses for United’s stuttering start to the season after the 1-1 draw against Shakhtar Dontesk in the Donbass Arena followed a sequence of three defeats in four league games. The Group A clash saw 39-year-old Giggs come on as a second-half substitute to move ahead of former Real Madrid striker Raul as the leading appearance-maker in Champions League history, on 145.

But the man appointed player-coach by Moyes is more concerned with ironing out the early-season problems that have brought unwanted pressure on United.

“I can’t put my finger on what’s happened,” said Giggs. “We have just not played as well as we can individually and as a team.

“We know the quality in the dressing room. We’re the champions so we showed that quality last year and we have to show it again.

“We are not playing well as a team. We haven’t got injury problems as we have had in the past – there is no excuse.

“You would rather be showing this form at the start of the season than at the end. You have just got to hang in there to the turn of the year and then hopefully hit a bit of form like we historically do.”

Meanwhile, Liverpool’s Andre Wisdom – the England Under 21 captain – is out of the games against San Marino (away, October 10) and Lithuania (Portman Road, October 15) after being banned for four games for being sent off against Finland last month. – Daily Mail

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