Wilfried Zaha of the Ivory Coast is contemplating his international future after requesting to be left out of his country’s upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
Zaha was left out of the squad for the games against Mozambique and Cameroon, with Ivory Coast manager Patrice Beaumelle revealing on Thursday that the 28-year-old was unwilling to travel.
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Zaha was unable to play in Palace’s Premier League match against Arsenal last month due to illness, despite having played 74 minutes of Ivory Coast’s victory over Malawi in Abidjan.
“A few days ago, Zaha sent me a message saying that every time he comes on international duty, he gets sick,” Beaumelle told reporters.
“He requested that I not be chosen in November because he wants to consider his international future.”
Zaha has five goals in 21 appearances for Ivory Coast since making his debut in 2017 after switching allegiance from England.
Zaha, on the other hand, has only played three matches for the Elephants in 2021 and did not play in the June or September international windows.
His failure to compete in the qualifiers jeopardized the rest of his international career.
Zaha, who scored in Palace’s shock win over Premier League champions Manchester City on Saturday, May opt-out of the African Cup of Nations in January.
Ivory Coast is currently first in Group D with 10 points, but they are only one point ahead of Cameroon in their quest to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar.
“I want soldiers, warriors who will come to the selection even with one knee on the ground.” “It’s a message I send loud and clear to every player,” Beaumelle explained.
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