Wilfried Zaha has completed a permanent return to Crystal Palace, meaning Manchester United have made a huge loss on his January 2013 transfer.
Zaha was Sir Alex Ferguson’s final transfer as manager of United, when he moved to Old Trafford two years ago for a fee of around £15million. The forward never had chance to play for the legendary Scot, who retired that summer, and nor did he get much of a look-in under David Moyes, who had a brief look at him before sending him on loan at Cardiff City 12 months ago.
The England player was back in Manchester ahead of the current season but didn’t last long under Louis van Gaal, who was happy to loan him to Palace for the duration of the campaign. That temporary move has now been made permanent, with the Eagles believed to have agreed to pay a maximum £6million for the 22-year-old who has signed a five-and-a-half year deal.
“I wasn’t getting much game time at Manchester United,” Zaha told the official Palace website. “To now have the chance to make the move permanent and come home to Selhurst Park is something I’m delighted about. I started playing here when I was eight years of age and my family live locally. To have the opportunity to take the field in the Premier League for this club is a dream come true.”
Zaha isn’t the only player to leave United on deadline day. It is understood that Anderson is back in his homeland of Brazil to seal a transfer to Internacional, and young defender Marnick Vermijl has joined Sheffield Wednesday for an undisclosed fee. It is unlikely van Gaal will add to his options before the 11pm deadline, instead leaving his business for the summer window.
