I ran out of time to pick Wilf
WORLD CUP 2018
GARETH SOUTHGATE has accused Wilfried Zaha of trying to hold England to ransom.
Zaha turned his back on the Three Lions for good in December choosing to represent the Ivory Coast instead after getting fed up waiting for England.
The Crystal Palace star won the last of his two England caps in 2013 and was overlooked for both the World Cup the following year and Euro 2016.
As both of his appearances were friendlies, Zaha was able to switch his allegiance to the country of his birth in time to play for them at the Africa Cup of Nations at start of the year.
Convince
He has made six appearances and showed Southgate what he was missing with a stunning goal to help the Ivory Coast beat Russia 2-0 last week.
Palace chairman Steve Parish took a pop at England on social media claiming Zaha should be scoring those kind of goals in an England shirt.
But Southgate hit back by revealing he went to see Zaha in December after being made permanent boss in a bid to convince him to stay with England, only to be told he was too late.
Southgate said: “He was the first player I went to see when I got the job ® permanently, but he’d already made his mind up to go across to the Ivory Coast. I went to meet him at Hull. I went to the team hotel and we had a good chat because obviously he was player I’d picked for the Under-21s.
“I know the Palace chairman has been quite vociferous on it. I know Steve’s an intelligent guy but I’m not sure it’s helpful to comment, like I wouldn’t comment on his decisions.
“He is passionate about his football and his players. I spoke to him during that process as well and he was keen to push that forward and I totally understand it.
“But I go back to the fact that it was a really small timescale for me to pick him. I didn’t want to pick him just because there was a chance that might happen.
“The first opportunity I had as permanent manager, I did go and speak to him. We hoped to have him as an option for us, but there’s nothing we could do about it.
“I don’t think anyone would have questioned Roy (Hodgson) for not bringing him in last season.
“And in September it would have been similar, I think.
“I had three days to pick a squad so I was always going to pick players I knew.
“Then in November I had the chance to look a little bit further. But we had won the game in October and I was pleased with the squad.
“I saw him at Burnley when he was okay in the first half and very good in the second.
“But I didn’t really appreciate there was this disappearing egg-timer on going to the Ivory Coast and of course I was interim manager at the time.
“He was the first player I went to see when I got the job permanently, but he’d already made his mind up to go across to the Ivory Coast.”
Southgate claims he only wants players who are 100 per cent committed to England.
Focus
“You run the risk, when you leave players out of squads, of them going across to another country,” he said.
“But in the end I have to focus on players who are desperate to play for England.
“I get that we are competing against other countries and players want to feel valued, but the inherent desire of wanting to play for your country is the most important thing if you want to be successful.
“I didn’t get capped until I was 25 and I had no interest in playing for anyone else. I’m English and proud to be English and I think part of your identity as a national team has to be pride in the shirt.
“So for me the commitment has to come from the player.”