November 12 2012

Wilfried Zaha

Crystal Palace's Wilfried Zaha is celebrating a call up to the England Squad for their friendly against Sweden on Wednesday.

England manager Roy Hodgson has a depleted squad ahead of the game against Sweden with Wayne Rooney, Theo Walcott, Aaron Lennon, Jonjo Shelvey and Kyle Walker all having withdrawn from the initial party selected last week.

Hodgson has opted to select Zaha in an attempt to ensure he sticks with England in the future and not play for his birth nation of the Ivory Coast.

Academy manager Gary Issott told cpfc.co.uk: "Everyone at the club is delighted by the news.

"Wilfried's having a fantastic season and is becoming the player we all knew he would. He is a wonderful talent and this recognition makes us hugely proud of him and the work we do producing young players at this club.

"His call up shows the benefits of starting your career at a club that is committed to giving young players a chance in the first team."