London, June 6: Crystal Palace ace Wilfried Zaha has insisted he switched his international allegiance to the Ivory Coast because he was overlooked by England.

Zaha, in his teenage days, had played in the Three Lions' Under-21 setup, before earning senior caps in friendlies against Sweden in 2012 and Scotland in 2013.

But in the next four years, the winger was overlooked by selectors which made the player eventually commit his international career to the Ivory Coast having been born in Abidjan.

Last season, the Eagles' player almost single-handedly guided his team to a Premier League safety as he registered nine goals and five assists in the process.

According to many, his superb form could have given him an opportunity to appear for England in the FIFA World Cup 2018, had he not changed his allegiance.

However, the Crystal Palace winger has insisted that he’s happy with his career choice even though his national side Ivory Coast is not in the quadrennial event this year.

"It was just like I was rejected from the England side," Zaha told CNN Sport. "I didn't get picked or even got a look in for four years.

"Four years in football is a long time so it's like there's no regret at all. No one even thought about me at all. And Ivory Coast, even though I told them no, they still had the belief in me and still wanted me because they knew what I could do for the team.

"Obviously we may not be in the World Cup but it's just a learning curve. From here, what we need to do is just get better and hopefully, try and get into the next one.

"As for me not playing for England, I've got no regrets at all. I'm happy with the decision I made."

The 24-year-old's superb form, last term, has now linked him over a move to a big club. Premier League top sides like Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City and Liverpool all said to have enquired about the attacker's ability.

However, Crystal Palace, reportedly, are not eager to let him go next season and have already offered him a new contract which can make him club’s top earner and thwart off interests from other sides.