Wilfred Zaha has been told to ignore any advances from Liverpool and commit to Crystal Palace's Wembley pursuit.
The plea was made by Palace captain Paddy McCarthy, who believes too many young players leave their clubs at the wrong time.
McCarthy said: "Wilfried is a special talent, probably the most naturally gifted individual I have come across in my career, and this is the perfect club for him at the moment.
"[Palace manager] Dougie Freedman won't stand in their way if they need to move on - but he won't let them leave too early, as we have seen with the likes of John Bostock.
"I'm sure Wilfried will be with us for the second leg against Cardiff, and to stay involved in this fantastic journey we've been on."
Zaha was part of the side that beat Cardiff City 1-0 in the first leg of their Carling Cup semi-final.
