"It's disappointing." Smith defends Zaha from criticism amid low scoring output

The arrival of former Manchester United and Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha at American club Charlotte was heralded as the signing of a superstar, but so far he has struggled to rack up goals. However, head coach Dean Smith refused to criticize his player.

Details: Smith emphasized that expecting an immediate flurry of goals and assists from a marquee player would be misguided, as it would only highlight a lack of competition within the league.

Quote: "If our pundits are criticizing marquee players who come to the league because they're not scoring 10 goals in 10 games, not doing backflips and walking on their hands, then they need to have more respect for the league. Because if they arrive and score 10 goals straight away, that doesn't make the league very competitive.

I believe this is a genuinely competitive league. Someone who hasn't played for almost a year [during spells in Turkey and France] isn't going to come in and immediately dribble past four defenders. Sometimes experts see snippets of games or just one match. And I think it's disappointing when they get this kind of criticism," Smith said.

Reminder: Previously, Zaha stated that the Crystal Palace chapter of his career is closed, but he does not entirely rule out a return to Selhurst Park.