Zaha: Moyes' daughter rumour plagued my time at United

Wilf Zaha was the last player that Sir Alex Ferguson signed, with a deal agreed in January 2013, on the condition he stayed at Crystal Palace until the end of the season.

By the time Zaha joined his new club, Ferguson had retired and David Moyes was the manager. Zaha was never really given an opportunity in the first team, which lead to rumours he had slept with Moyes’ daughter or that he had a bad attitude in training, both of which Zaha claims are totally untrue.

I played in all the pre-season games and then in the Wigan game I never played my best. I played for England and then zero games. Then the rumours started basically because he just stopped playing me with no actual reason that I knew. It was either: I slept with David Moyes’ daughter or I have got a bad attitude. Those are the two rumours that stuck with me until I left Man United. I have had no say since then.

I never even met her. But as soon as anybody sees me now, people think: Wilfried Zaha, bad attitude. I just don’t understand why. I went through that every single day. Getting constant tweets, people outside making jokes. I just had to take that on knowing that I wasn’t going to play for United either. I lived up there by myself as well so there was not really anybody to speak to.