Patrick Vieira has praised Wilfried Zaha and Ebere Eze after the pair both netted in Saturday’s comeback win over Southampton at St Mary’s.
Patrick Vieira said: “With the medical department, we had a really good plan about how long it’s going to take for him to get back to his best and we didn’t want him to ever step back. He will say to you that it takes longer than he wanted to. But at the end, what is important is that today he is capable of playing game after game and is capable of playing 90 minutes with no reaction after games and this is good. So we are pleased with the time that he takes to get him where he is today. It was a long journey for him and I’m really pleased for him because being out for seven months is really challenging. He is a player who loves football. He likes to be on the field, he loves playing the game and he loves playing football.”
Vieira was also glowing in his praise of Zaha, who started the game on the bench after his manager said he was still feeling the effects of a physical battle with Leeds on Monday night. When he did arrive on the scene with half an hour to play, he immediately stretched the Saints’ defence and linked up play better than they had done prior with target man Jean-Philippe Mateta leading the line.
Patrick Vieira added: “Wilfried is a fighter. He stays strong and on his feet and I don’t want him to change his game at all. He’s a goalscorer. He’s a winner. He can play in any ground and be ready for it.”
