Southgate urges Zaha to backtrack on Ivory Coast switch

England manager Gareth Southgate has reached out to Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha and urged the winger to re-consider his decision to switch his international allegiance to the Ivory Coast, reports Press Association Sport.

Zaha, 24, announced his decision to turn his back on representing England to force his way into the Ivory Coast squad, the place of his birth, at the start of the month after failing to make an impression on any of the last three England managers.

The Palace ace has enjoyed a fine season despite their struggles in the league and Southgate has asked him to backtrack on his announcement and force his way back into contention with his England squad.

Zaha’s only two England caps came in non-competitive features , with the last of those appearances coming against Scotland in August 2013. Since then, he has even dropped below Palace teammate Andros Townsend in the pecking order among England managers.

Only Eden Hazard (83) has completed more dribbles in the Premier League this season than Zaha (74), while only Alexis Sanchez (8.37) has a higher WhoScored rating away from home in the Premier League  this season (Zaha - 8.07).

For more stats on Wilfried Zaha, click here to visit his WhoScored player page