Wilf Zaha has ability to hit 20 goals in a season – with hopes he could be future inductee into Premier League Hall of Fame

BY ANDREW MCSTEEN

Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira believes Wilfried Zaha has the quality to score 20 goals in a campaign.

The attacker took his total haul for this season to 13, the best-ever goal return in his career, following his late winner at Southampton on Saturday.

Despite clicking up the impressive number, Vieira has challenged the Ivorian attacker to do even better.

“He should be higher than that,” joked Vieira at the post-match media conference following the win on the south coast. “We bring [in] some players around [him] and that improves Wilfried’s ability to score goals as well.

“When you create chances [as a team], he will have some chances to score those goals. He’s always been scoring goals. If we play the way we played and we create the chances, he will definitely score goals. I believe that he’s got the ability and quality to score around 20 goals to be honest with you.”

Vieira, who was recently announced as an inductee into the Premier League Hall of Fame, also praised the long-term legacy of Zaha, who joined Palace as an 11-year-old.

When asked about his comments at that Hall of Fame announcement recently that he hoped Zaha would be inducted in the future, Vieira expanded on them, comparing Zaha to a playing legend at the south coast club.

“Wilfried is a little bit like Matt Le Tissier,” he said. “When you play at Palace, you play at Southampton, you may not get the credit that you deserve if you’re not playing in one of the top four, top five teams.

“Matt Le Tissier, like Wilfried, hopefully they will get to the Hall of Fame. Because what they did for Crystal Palace [and Southampton], you can’t take that away. Wilfried, since he’s been in this football club, has been an important player, delivering every year and that’s why it’s important for people to recognise his talent.

“There’s a different way of looking at quality players, talented players, and Wilfried Zaha and Matt Le Tissier they deserve a lot of credit for what they achieved for their respective football clubs and that’s why I’m saying Wilfried – he’s got a special talent and he’s showed it year after year.”

PICTURE: KEITH GILLARD