Roy Hodgson is hoping Wilfried Zaha will remain with Crystal Palace after his departure from the Premier League club.
The English tactician will end his stay with the Eagles when his contract ends after this weekend.
During Hodgson’s time at Palace, he has been able to convince the Ivory Coast international to remain with his side despite several attempts from other Premier League clubs to lure him away from Selhurst Park.
The influential forward has been playing a significant role in helping the Eagles maintain their English top-flight status and in the current campaign, he has scored 11 goals and provided two assists, amid other dazzling displays.
Hodgson admitted the winger has an ambition of moving his career to the next level but hopes he can continue his impactful contributions for the club, where he has spent more than 10 years involving two spells.
“If I was going to be continuing at this club as a manager I’d definitely want to be doing that with Wilf Zaha,” Hodgson said, as per the Independent.
“He’s been fantastic in the period of time I’ve been at the club and is still such a vital player for us.
“I don’t think there’s any particular desire for the club to lose Wilf. But the club is realistic and they know also that Wilf has ambitions of his own.
“Maybe he will be less keen to stay than we are to keep him. But if that is something that rears its head and, there is a club coming to steal Wilf from us, that will be a situation the club will have to deal with.
“I don’t envy the club or the new manager that problem, but I hope that – now as a fan of the club rather than an employee – Wilf will stay because he still has so much to offer.”
In 2013, Zaha teamed up with Manchester United but struggled to make much of an impact during his two-year stay which also involved loan spells at Palace and Cardiff City.
The forward has explained he wants another opportunity with top European clubs to prove his worth as he aims to win more titles before his retirement.
“I feel like I can have another shot at the top teams because my dream is to win things,” Zaha said.
“I’m good enough to go out there and compete with the best. If the opportunity came, I wouldn’t turn it down, because I feel like I deserve it. It’s so I can show my kids: ‘This is what daddy won.’”
Zaha will hope to add to his tally and help Hodgson end his stay with Crystal Palace on a high with a victory over Liverpool in their last Premier League game of the season on Sunday.