Alan Pardew believes that England manager Roy Hodgson should use his winger Wilfried Zaha as his wild card option at the Euro 2016.

England go into the competition flush with confidence, which has been acquired after a brilliant qualification campaign. However, there is a fear of England being found out in this major competition as has been the situation in recent decades. After going into major tournaments as favourites, England have flattered to deceive. They have failed to get past the quarter final stage of any major tournament in the last two decades.

This time around, the presence of many new faces ensures that there is a hint of unpredictability surrounding England. Other teams, however, will be able to learn about the players by looking at the qualification campaign. Pardew says that England should have a wild card in the squad and this element of surprise is important in such a big event. The Crystal Palace manager has identified Wilfried Zaha as the perfect choice for this job. Even though Zaha has been a winger in his career, Pardew says that the former Manchester United man has the ability to make a big impact while playing through the middle. Ironically, this is where England appear to be the strongest.

“I want to encourage him to go through the middle more from the flank.He just needs to end up in more central positions at times and I was really pleased he got that goal. That was an indication he was listening and learning.Roy should consider him because I can’t think of anyone in the England squad who can actually beat someone from a standing start quite like Wilf.I look at the wide players and they’re more give and go sort of players and speed and running and passing, whereas Wilf will take people on and beat people,” said Pardew.