Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew has heaped praise on Wilfried Zaha for his response to being dropped from the starting XI for this afternoon's match against Bournemouth.
The 23-year-old is understood to have handed in a transfer request on Thursday amid interest from Tottenham Hotspur, who saw a £12m bid for the winger rejected.
Zaha was left out of the side this afternoon as a result of the transfer speculation, but Pardew insists that it was not designed as a punishment for the two-time England international.
"I made the decision on Friday (to drop Zaha). He's a young lad, he's been to Man United, he's come here and done terrifically for us. Brilliant, our player of the year and for me, I would play him every game. Trust me, I didn't want to leave him out. But I had to understand the pressures that were on him as well," he told reporters.
"He had a very disruptive week and I thought it was only fair to him to see if we could get through the game, perhaps even without him, but we needed him and he was spot on for us. He was terrific when he came on and he showed why the chairman made the statement he did (about Zaha staying). He couldn't have done any more for us in the period he was on the pitch and that's all I can ask for.
"He didn't take being a substitute badly at all. He understood that it was a disruptive week for him. It wasn't a punishment. It was just me saying 'You're probably not focused, let me leave you out on this one'. His actions have been terrific for us and it shows what a good character he is."
Zaha played a part in his side coming from behind to rescue a 1-1 draw against the Cherries, with Scott Dann nodding in a stoppage-time equaliser.
