03 October 2023 , 19:47
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Wilfried Zaha made his feelings on Manchester United perfectly clear after scoring for Galatasaray at Old Trafford on Tuesday night.
The former Crystal Palace attacker had raised some eyebrows with his comments in the pre-match press conference and was not welcomed by the home fans. Zaha’s every touch was met with boos and jeers in the Champions League match, but it was the former United man who had the last laugh.
Rasmus Hojlund gave United the lead with a header from Marcus Rashford ’s cross, but Erik ten Hag’s side couldn’t keep Galatasaray quiet for long. A punt straight down the pitch was not dealt with and Zaha out-muscled Diogo Dalot to bounce a finish over the hesitant Andre Onana in goal.
He reacted by sprinting towards the fans with a huge grin on his face and with his arms outstretched. After hearing the boos from the United fans, Zaha put his hands to his ears and laughed at their abuse.
His reaction came as little surprise, given his words about the club he briefly played for back in 2015. Asked about his feelings on United, he scoffed and replied: “I’ll be honest, when you look at my face do you think I am bothered at all? No.
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“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. It built my character.
“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 I am here today.”
Wilfried Zaha shrugged off the jeers and boos (Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)He added: “Obviously Manchester United were a team I played at before a long time ago. Ten years forward, I’m 30 years old, I feel like I’ve matured in my game, I’m at a big club in Galatasaray.
“I think with the help of the manager and the team that we have that there’s a lot of talent in the team, a lot of experience. So I think we are ready for the game.
“Obviously they’ve got a good team but at the same time, we’ve got players who can hurt them as well. Me personally, I’m looking forward to the game.”