Patrick Vieira believes people have the “wrong impression” of Wilfried Zaha and has hailed him as a leader in the Crystal Palace dressing room.
Zaha is a fan favourite at Selhurst Park, but outside of the club opinion is divided on him. Vieira has confessed he had heard stories about Zaha being difficult to manage, however he has dismissed those tales since working with the forward over the past 18 months.
Vieira has hailed the Ivorian, who is into the final year of his contract at Selhurst Park, as a leader and praised him for the influence he has in the Palace dressing room.
“I heard a lot of stories about Wilfried, that he was really difficult to work with,” Vieira said, as he collected a Lifetime Achievement award at the Best of Africa awards ceremony this week.
“I can confirm he is really difficult to work with! But, he has got something really special. He is talented and he loves football.
“And I believe that people have the wrong impression of him. He is a winner and he is a positive leader in the team that pushes players to fight and to win.
“To be honest, I am quite happy and glad to work with him, because he is a really good supporter.”
Zaha has been in fine form for Palace this season, scoring four goals for them in his first seven Premier League games. Palace are back in action early on Saturday, facing struggling Leicester in the lunchtime kick-off.
