Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha doesn’t want to play as a striker despite Vieira’s insistence
Despite enjoying the best goal-scoring season of his career, Crystal Palace talisman Wilfried Zaha doesn’t see himself as a striker.
The 29-year-old forward is enjoying his best goal-scoring season of his career, with 13 goals to his name.
He’s scored the same amount of goals as Tottenham’s Harry Kane, and has admitted he’s just two goals shy of his personal target of scoring 15 for the season.
When asked after the Watford game, when Zaha scored again, if he wanted to play upfront, he replied: “I don’t. He [Vieira] has got his ideas, and I have got mine, so we will see how it goes.”
Zaha revealed he was happy to share what he has picked up down the years with the younger Palace players coming through, like Michael Olise.
He added: “It just shows what the club has in store.
“Michael is 20, and that’s how good he is already, so imagine when he matures into a grown player - he will be unbelievable.
“It is nice to be a part of it. I feel as though I am the oldest among these young kids, but it is nice to be a part of it and play with these boys. The future is bright.
“That’s the aspect that I am talking about. That just comes with maturity, experience and killing games.
“I had to learn that. With the talent that they have, you enjoy just doing tricks and running rings around people, but at the end of the day, [it comes down to] scoring goals.
“That is what I try to tell them on the pitch: ‘Play with purpose - all the rest comes after.’”
Crystal Palace are currently on 44 points, and they have three games to beat their previously best Premier League tally of 49.
Zaha will be hoping he can hit 15 goals for the season in these final three matches.