WILFRIED ZAHA is ready to make a shock switch to Ivory Coast – despite playing twice for England.

The Crystal Palace star fears he no longer stands a chance of featuring for the Three Lions and is now seriously considering accepting this latest offer to play for the country of his birth.

4 Wilfried Zaha is considering switching allegiances to Ivory Coast Credit: Getty Images

4 Zaha last played for England in 2013 Credit: Getty Images

Zaha, 23, has repeatedly been asked to play for the The Elephants, who also star Manchester United’s Eric Bailly and Wilfried Bony of Stoke.

And he could even make his debut for Ivory Coast at the African Cup of Nations in Gabon in January.

The former Manchester United winger made his debut for England in Sweden in 2012 and featured in another friendly against Scotland 12 months later.

Because he has not played for England’s team competitively, and despite playing 13 times for the under-21s, he still qualifies to play for a country where he already holds a passport.

Gareth Southgate is due to name his next squad on Sunday for the World Cup qualifiers against Scotland and Spain.

And Palace boss Alan Pardew claims Zaha remains on Southgate’s radar - with the England boss making a trip to watch Crystal Palace at Burnley today.

Pardew admits he has spoken to the Three Lions chief Southgate – a former Palace team-mate - about the 23-year-old winger.

Pardew said: “Obviously I know Gareth well, so we have had conversations about players and Wilf has come up, yes.

He added:“The quality of the England team is such that it’s difficult to break into that starting eleven, but Andros is pretty close, and I think Wilf Zaha is close as well.

“I think Zaha is playing some of his best football since he came back to the football club.”

4 Alan Pardew has spoken to Gareth Southgate about the situation Credit: Getty Images

Zaha was born in Ivory Coast before moving to England aged four. He has bought his parents a house in that country.

Even before making his debut for England in Stockholm, Zaha was continually asked by Ivory Coast legend and Chelsea star Didier Drogba to play for the country.

And he could become the latest promising star to snub the Three Lions senior side after Alex Iwobi, a former England under-18 ace, switched allegiances to Nigeria, the place of his birth.

Zaha believes Palace are going through a “transition period” which has contributed to them losing three successive Premier League games.

4 England face Scotland next week Credit: Getty

He said: “We are trying to change our style of play.

”We have bought players in, so we are going through a transition right now.

“Players are still trying to understand what they are supposed to do, but we will get through this rough patch eventually.

“The manager wants us to change our way of playing to try and keep the ball more.

“In the Premier League you can’t really just defend all the time and then counter, because eventually teams are good enough to score.

“We need to keep the ball, but we are still staying with that style where we break on teams because we have pace.”