Newcastle an Obvious Destination If Wilfried Zaha Needs Manchester United Escape

While a lot can change between now and January, it appears Manchester United winger Wilfried Zaha will be one of the most sought-after players available in the winter transfer window.

The 20-year-old, who signed for United from Crystal Palace last January but only joined up with his new teammates in the summer, has struggled to force his way into David Moyes’ side so far this season—strengthening the possibility that he will be loaned out for the second half of the campaign to another Premier League side.

Zaha played a prominent role in United’s pre-season tour of Asia, but it has been another of the tour's more impressive performers, Adnan Januzaj, who has taken that momentum into the new campaign.

Januzaj’s case has been well covered; the 18-year-old of as-yet-to-be-defined national team allegiances taking his opportunities to impress at the club level with both hands since being thrown on as a 68th-minute substitute in United’s fourth Premier League game against Crystal Palace.

Impressing with his threat in that cameo, the teenager then became one of Moyes’ preferred options to provide fresh legs in wide areas off the bench, culminating in a first start that saw him spark a comeback in an otherwise dour performance against Sunderland.

Zaha, meanwhile, has been out in the cold since being an unused substitute in United’s opening league fixture at Swansea, seeing Nani, Antonio Valencia and then Januzaj gradually erase his opportunities.

There had been reports that Zaha was promised involvement in the Capital One Cup meeting with Liverpool; when he sat on the bench throughout that match, it only added to the concerned talk about his status.

Speculation has been rife as to the reasons why Zaha has struggled to earn Moyes’ favour, although it appears that, in a similar situation to the one Juan Mata recently found himself in with Jose Mourinho at Chelsea, the manager wants his player to show more tactical discipline and defensive diligence.

Zaha, during his time at Crystal Palace and recent appearances for England Under-21s, has shown himself to be a prodigiously gifted attacking player, with a willingness to track back on behalf of his team when required.

But that tracking back has been done inconsistently, seemingly dependent on how his performance has been going, while his tricks in attack occasionally come when better passing options are present around him.

Moyes seemingly wants him to show he has improved his decision-making before he is entrusted with first-team responsibilities.

"He is a fantastic lad but he has got to learn what his new manager wants him to do,” Zaha’s old manager at Palace, Ian Holloway, told the Daily Star recently.

"But his ability will shine through and I am sure he will be the right player for Manchester United."

A loan move away from a top side has tended to be looked upon as a negative assessment of player’s long-term prospects at that club, but United are among a number of clubs who have seen their promising youngsters benefit immensely after gaining experience at another Premier League side.

Danny Welbeck (Sunderland), Jonny Evans (also Sunderland) and Tom Cleverley (Wigan) have all become first-team squad members, and international players, after loan spells elsewhere.

Cleverley believes Zaha would benefit from following the likes of Jesse Lingard, Angelo Henriquez and Nick Powell, who are all currently gaining first-team experience away from Old Trafford.

"I think it's massive, it definitely helped me," Cleverley told MUTV. "I got something out of all three of my loan spells [he also spent time at Leicester and Watford] and I'd recommend it to any young player who is at a big club with a 25-man squad.

"The lads will gain massive confidence and they are all doing really well. It's pleasing to see."

All three of the aforementioned names are currently playing in the Championship (Lingard at Birmingham, Henriquez and Powell at Wigan), lacking as they do much experience of playing at that level.

Zaha, in contrast, played well over 100 games for Palace in England’s second tier, meaning only a move to another Premier League side would make sense in terms of enhancing his development.

While Palace would love to have their academy product back, and will doubtless at least ask the question, it is believed Zaha is currently more intrigued by a move to Newcastle.

"The prospect of playing at Newcastle is the preferred one at present but it depends on United allowing a loan move to happen," the Daily Star has claimed they were told by a “source”.

Newcastle’s interest would seem to make sense, considering manager Alan Pardew’s acknowledgement on Sunday that he wanted to add a few more British faces to his French-flavoured squad.

“We need to look at British players because we’re starting to get filled up with perhaps too many foreigners,” Pardew told Sky Sports' show 'Goals on Sunday'.

Similarly, Pardew admitted that he spent much of his summer pursuing flair players—Andros Townsend apparently among them—to complement his squad, but was frustrated at almost every turn.

Presumably, then, the need for such attributes rolls on into January.

"We were after flair players and when you get into that market as a Premier League club, you have your league and divisions like the Bundesliga chasing them because they are a rare commodity, so it is difficult to get them over the line,” Pardew noted.

"Loic Remy [grabbed on loan from QPR] has been a great signing and given us what we didn't have last year which is a striker who can play, build the game and finish, while he has a nice manner, is comfortable with our group and has the confidence to play for Newcastle, too.

"If Yohan Cabaye had have gone we might have had more to play with and got a striker, but I'm glad he stayed."

Zaha would certainly fit the bill of a flair player (and is exceedingly unlikely to head to the Bundesliga instead), adding to a Newcastle front line that occasionally seems to start misfiring.

Moyes may also believe Pardew would be a reasonable manager to entrust the responsibility of instilling more positional discipline in Zaha, having seen the former West Ham boss recently drop the mercurial Hatem Ben Arfa for failing to pull his weight when his side is without the ball.

Newcastle and United presumably have a reasonable relationship, having negotiated the move of Gabriel Obertan between the two sides in 2011 (although we can only guess whether the Newcastle hierarchy remains particularly grateful at being sold the Frenchman).

If Pardew really only has limited funds, Zaha would be an ideal short-term acquisition; minimal cost (United may not even demand a loan fee, and would perhaps only ask for half of the wages to be paid) to fill a need for six months.

At the end of that, they may even be in prime position to sign Zaha, should Moyes and United ultimately deem him not in their future plans.

Then again, January is still ten weeks away, and a lot can change before then. If Januzaj can emerge as the next big thing for Manchester United and at least six different international sides off the back of a handful of performances, there is no guarantee Zaha will be in the same purgatory come the end of December.

He may only need one opportunity and, if he takes it, his career at United may quickly take flight.

But if he has to wait a little longer, a temporary move to Newcastle seems to suit the needs of both him and the two clubs involved.