England manager Gareth Southgate has revealed that he tried to persuade Wilfried Zaha to reject the Ivory Coast, but failed to do so.
The 24-year-old Crystal Palace winger earned two international caps for the England senior squad before deciding in November last year to switch his allegiance.
After Southgate was handed the reins on a permanent basis last September, the 46-year-old made it a top priority to speak to Zaha about his international future, but he could not be swayed.
"I didn't really appreciate there was this disappearing egg timer on him going to the Ivory Coast," The Guardian quotes Southgate as saying. "He was the first player I went to see when I got the job permanently but he'd already made his mind up.
"The Ivory Coast had been talking to him and his family for a long period of time and obviously it had been a couple of years that he had been out of the England fold. We hoped to have him as an option for us but there was nothing we could do about it."
Zaha has made six appearances for Les Elephants.
Danielle Joynson
