Wilfried Zaha is happy at Crystal Palace, says Roy Hodgson
Last updated on .From the section Crystal Palace
Wilfried Zaha is "happy at Crystal Palace" and will be "in the shirt for may years to come", according to manager Roy Hodgson.
Zaha, who scored in Sunday's 3-2 win at Arsenal, said in a recent interview that he should be playing in the Champions League.
Hodgson said: "The bottom line is this: he's our player, and he's certainly happy.
"That wasn't the performance of a guy looking to get away from his club."
Zaha told the Daily Mail that when he watches Champions League games, he thinks: "I should be there. I'm missing out. I don't just want to be at home watching it."
Palace secured Premier League safety with their win at Emirates Stadium but Hodgson's side are 24 points short of a top-four place and have not finished higher then 10th in the top division since they were third in 1991.
Despite that, Hodgson is confident he can keep his prize asset.
"He's on a four-year contract, he's one of our highest-paid players and he's absolutely adored by the fans and everyone in south-east London," Hodgson said.
"As far as I'm concerned, I'm looking forward to working with him not only in the near future, but I'm looking forward to seeing him in the Crystal Palace shirt for many years to come.
"The question is how many players, if the question is put to them, would say: 'I don't want to play Champions League football.'
"You just congratulate the journalist; he's caught him at the right moment and extracted an honest answer out of him."
After the game, Zaha said: "To be honest the only thing I'm thinking about is Palace. I'm a Palace player right now and I don't know what the future holds for me.
"I'm here at Palace, working for Palace. I'm not being distracted by anything else."
