Roy Hodgson says that Wilfried Zaha is in his best footballing years after he was voted by football.london readers as Crystal Palace's Player of the Year.
Zaha was by far and away the most popular candidate, picking up over 60% of the public vote after he was nominated alongside Cheikhou Kouyate, James McArthur and Vicente Guaita for the award.
The 28-year-old has been in top form this season for Palace, with seven goals and two assists in his 12 appearances so far.
His absence this term has also proved just how indispensable he is, with Palace losing against both Burnley and Newcastle when the Ivory Coast international was unavailable after contracting COVID-19.
Hodgson says that Zaha is now proving he is in his peak footballing years, and was pleased the fans had recognised it.
"He's constantly evolving [his game]," Hodgson told reporters. "He's more and more aware about the need to bring end products to his game.
"He's always been a good assister in terms of providing penalties and assists for goals. He's working very hard now to make certain he chips in with goals of his own, and that's clearly shown by the fact he's our top goalscorer this season, and he's done pretty well even in the general goalscoring table.
"I think that he's becoming more and more aware of what's required from him and how he can best use his skills for the team's benefit.
"And I think that's something that you would expect from someone who is now probably in his best footballing years.
"He's about 28, I'm not certain exactly what his age is, but he's around about the 28 mark, which is really the time players should be producing their best football and I'm pleased for Wilf that the fans have seen it that way to vote him their player of the season."
Palace are back in action on Boxing Day against Aston Villa before a quick turnaround against Leicester that sees them play just 46 hours after full-time at Villa Park.
Eagles fans will be hoping that Zaha is back at his best to bring home some festive points for Hodgson and his side.
