Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha talks Manchester United 'hell' and battle with depression

Outcast: Wilfried Zaha struggled to make an impact under David Moyes
PA
Standard Sport21 September 2018

Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha has admitted that his time at Manchester United was like "hell" and revealed he suffered with depression.

Zaha first left Crystal Palace in a £10million move in 2013, but returned to Selhurst Park the following summer, after enduring a torrid time at Old Trafford, and being sent out on loan to Cardiff.

The Ivorian made just four first-team appearances for United and was often not even among the substitutes under David Moyes.

His lack of playing time sparked a flurry of rumours about the reasons behind his absence, and the 25-year-old says he did not feel the support of the club.

“When I was at United I had money but I was still so down and depressed,” Zaha told The Guardian. “People think your life’s different because you’ve got money, you’ve got fame, so they don’t treat you the same.”

Zaha made just two Premier League appearances for United
Getty Images

“There were rumours that the reason I wasn’t playing for United was because I slept with David Moyes’ daughter, and no one attempted to clear that up.

“I was fighting my demons by myself, these rumours that I knew weren’t true.”

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However, Zaha believes that enduring such a difficult period while still a teenager has helped turn him into the player he is today.

“I was dealing with this at 19; living in Manchester by myself, nowhere near anyone else, because the club had a hold over where I lived. They hadn’t given me a car, like every other player. Nothing.

“I’m living in this hell by myself, away from my family, and I thought: ‘If this doesn’t make me stronger, what will?’”

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