Wilfried Zaha will rise to the occasion, believes Phil Neville

Zaha is a diamond who will step up says Phil Neville

Manchester United have always trusted their youngsters to step up and perform. So, it is surprising to see that Wilfried Zaha has not been able to break into the team despite having earned rave reviews about his footballing qualities while he was at Crystal Palace.

Zaha has featured just twice for the Red Devils since making his multi-million pound move from Crystal Palace mid-way last season in January, before being immediately loaned back to the Eagles to help in their quest for a Premier League promotion.

But Manchester United coach Phil Neville is not too worried that Zaha has not been able to break into the first team quickly. He believes that every top player needs time to develop especially at United which is an intimidating place not just for opposition but even for new players.

Players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Michael Carrick, Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra have previously taken their time to establish themselves in the first team and Zaha will be hoping to follow in their footsteps.

Speaking to The Guardian, Phil Neville said,”Wilf is a diamond. People say: ‘Why is he not playing?’ But we’re seeing the same with Marouane Fellaini and we’ve seen it with Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra in the past.

“The first six months… forget the games, just being a Manchester United footballer, the intensity of training, the expectation, it’s really hard. It blows you away.”

United’s new trio of Moyes, Neville and Fellaini will be facing off against their former club when Everton visit Old Trafford tonight at 1.15 am IST.

United sit eighth in the Premier League table, two points behind their opponents Everton, who lie fifth.