Wilfried Zaha has a point to prove against Manchester United in Champions League

A subtle feint, back to goal, and Wilfried Zaha had his marker where he wanted him, too tight, too committed. Once he had spun elegantly away from the unfortunate Atakan Cankaya, of Ankaragucu, Zaha was in one of his favourite places, just inside the opposition penalty area, ball teed up for his right foot, angles favourable.

He rifled in his shot, a strike seen many times before from Zaha in a Crystal Palace jersey, a goal whipped across the goalkeeper, left to right. Zaha celebrated with a mighty leap and a clenched fist. His new club, Galatasaray, had been trailing 1-0. Zaha changed the script, kick-starting Saturday’s comeback to 2-1 up and maintaining the Turkish champions’ unbeaten start to the season.

It was Zaha’s first goal for Galatasaray, who he joined from Palace in the summer with the express wish of playing in the Uefa Champions League, a platform outside the reach of Palace, where Zaha had become an enduring, adored icon: over 450 senior games, 90 goals. On Tuesday, a few weeks before turning 31, Zaha can finally anticipate a long-awaited first start in club football’s most prestigious competition. The setting makes it especially poignant.

A decade ago, at Old Trafford where Galatasaray meet a troubled Manchester United, Zaha was watching Champions League matches from the grandstands, a United employee but one excluded from their European squad. That absence rankled with the winger, who had been signed that year, 2013. With his dazzling footwork and his turn of speed, he was heralded as an exciting addition to a United squad in momentous transition.

A new manager, David Moyes, had assumed the reins held for 27 years by Alex Ferguson. There was hype around Zaha, a natural fit, it was suggested, in the great