February 23 2012

Wilfried Zaha

Crystal Palace winger WILFRIED ZAHA has won his first call-up to the England U21 squad that faces Belgium.

ZAHA, who has three England U19 caps, has been rewarded for his impressive performances for Palace this season.

The 19-year-old will now be aiming for a starting place in next Wednesday's Euro 2013 Qualifier against Belgium at Middlesbrough.

ZAHA got the news himself last week and tweeted: "Call up for England under 21's. Buzzing!"

Coach Brian Eastick will be taking charge of the U21s with Stuart Pearce and Steve Wigley managing the senior squad on the same evening.

Eastick, who played youth team football at Palace where he was capped at England under-18 level, said: "There are a couple of new faces in the group, with Crystal Palace's WILFRIED ZAHA and Hull City's Cameron Stewart coming in for the first time. They both deserve their opportunities after some impressive performances at club level."