Departing Manchester United chief David Gill says the signing of Wilfried Zaha is all about keeping an English core to the squad.

Zaha was signed in January before being loaned back to Crystal Palace for the second-half of last season.

"It's quite interesting that for England recently we had five players in the team, which is good for us," says Gill, in the club's official new book Champions 20|13.

"The backbone of Manchester United has always been this way. Matt Busby had it and Alex [Ferguson] has nurtured it himself - this mix between British or English players and foreigners - and that's what this club is about.

"It's going to be a big learning curve for him [Zaha], he knows that. But I think he's going to be an exciting Manchester United player; that's our view. He's something different. He can beat a man, he can play in the middle or wide. It's great for us."