5 Manchester United flops who went on to succeed elsewhere

#2 Wilfried Zaha

The talents of Wilfried Zaha were painfully wasted by Man United

A change in management at a club is often one of the most difficult things for a player to deal with, and it was certainly so in the case of Wilfried Zaha. The speedy winger had impressed for Crystal Palace after breaking through their academy system to become a key player for the Eagles by 2011/12, and at just 20, it appeared that he had all the potential in the world.

Sir Alex Ferguson turned out to be an admirer too, and he decided to sign Zaha for United in January 2013, with the idea being that he’d remain at Palace – on loan – for the remainder of the season. The move was believed to have cost about £10m. Zaha continued to perform well for Palace for the rest of 2012/13, as the side were promoted to the Premier League, and then made his move.

Unfortunately, when Zaha arrived at United, Ferguson was gone and David Moyes was in his place. And right away, poor Zaha was never given a fair chance at his new club, as he fell out of favour with Moyes and played just twice before being packed off to Cardiff City on a loan in January 2014. The rumour – although it’s since been denied by all parties – was that Moyes discovered Zaha was sleeping with his daughter.

Regardless of the reason, it seemed like a terrible waste; Zaha was sent back to Selhurst Park on loan for the 2014/15 season and then made the move permanent in February 2015. And he’s since basically settled back into his old role as one of Palace’s key men, as won won their Player of the Year award in the last two seasons. Currently, he is recognised as one of the best attacking wide-men in the Premier League.