Roy Hodgson insisted Wilfried Zaha is committed to Crystal Palace ahead of their opening Premier League game of the season against Everton on Saturday.
The 26-year-old was linked with a move to the Toffees and reportedly submitted a transfer request ahead of the deadline, but he remains a Palace player.
“The fact is he is a professional. He realises that,” said the former England manager.
“He is committed to the club and helping us do what we need to do to stay in the league.
“His training performance today was just as good as it was on Monday and Tuesday.”
Hodgson added: “We wanted him here with us. We were waiting to see what the outcome would be.
“It’s been a very good outcome because Wilf is still with us, so we’re looking forward now to benefiting from the skills he brings to us.”
Hodgson said: “They were a good team last season and they don’t look like they’re going to be any less good this year by the signings they have made. We are gearing up for a very tough opening fixture.”
“It is dangerous at the start of the season when everybody is excited to talk about targets because so much depends on injuries,” he said.
“The most important thing for us to do in this transfer window was to try and bat off interest from other clubs in Wilf Zaha because there is no doubt that with him, with Tomkins and Sakho returning and with the additions, we should theoretically be stronger than we were last year. If we can be stronger there is no reason for us to have a lower total as our goal.”
