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Zaha: Moyes never trusted me

Wilfried Zaha played just four games for Manchester United before his loan move to Cardiff © Getty Images

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Wilfried Zaha has taken a swipe at former Manchester United manager David Moyes by insisting he was never given a fair chance at Old Trafford.

Having played just four games for United under Moyes, Zaha - signed for £15 million from Crystal Palace - was sent on loan to Cardiff for the second half of the season.

"I signed for Sir Alex Ferguson and expected him to be the manager," Zaha told the Sun. "David Moyes arrived and obviously - in general - he had to play older players.

"For some games I was not even on the bench. That was tough, very frustrating. You need the manager to trust you and that was not the case.

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"Raheem Sterling went through a tough period at Liverpool and there was talk of him going out on loan. But Brendan Rodgers trusted him and he was allowed to get that experience and pull through."

Zaha is hoping he will be given an opportunity to impress the club's new manager, with Louis van Gaal expected to be appointed next week having admitted he wants the job.

"I hope whoever comes in will let me give it my best," added Zaha. "I hope to still have a future there. I will go in for pre-season and give my best. Had the manager stayed, I am not sure if that would have been the case.

"I have four years left on my contract at United. Had Moyes stayed I would have had to think about some other options."

Zaha also insists he will be stronger after a turbulent season, with Cardiff also suffering relegation to the Championship.

"I will benefit from this tough year. Everything cannot go right all the time," he added.

"I played pre-season and then at Wembley in the Community Shield against Wigan. It was magical. My career was going too well to be true. Everyone at United made me really feel at home. They are decent lads at United - all of them.

"In the Community Shield I didn't play very well because I was nervous. It was the same for England against Scotland. I was all over the place. We all have a bad day.

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"I thought 'when I get my next chance, I will do better' but I didn't get many more. I just needed a couple of games to get used to the surroundings and play the way I know I can.

"I don't know if I was the gaffer's cup of tea. The only time he had reason to have a go at me was when I was playing in a reserve game. There was so much traffic, I was half an hour late. That was very unfortunate.

"Adnan Januzaj got given more of a chance. I thought I deserved the same treatment."

Zaha also admitted that the conspiracy theories surrounding his absence from the United team, including a Twitter rumour that he was dating Moyes' daughter, left him upset.

"People thought I had a bad attitude," said Zaha. "There were rumours about Moyes' daughter from Twitter. It was weird. I was getting tortured for something I hadn't done. I hadn't even met her.

"That is why Twitter can be such a negative thing. Obviously, the season did not go too well for Moyes.

"Some people have asked if I was happy he is no longer there but of course I am not. I don't want to see anyone get sacked."

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