Crystal Palace manager Dougie Freedman has reiterated his desire to not overplay his youngsters despite substitute Wilfried Zaha putting in another dazzling display in the Eagles 1-0 defeat against Middlesbrough on Saturday.

Winger Zaha, who impressed for the Eagles in their 2-1 Carling Cup win over Premier League Wigan last week with two assists, started on the bench at Selhurst Park but replaced Darren Ambrose soon after Boro took the lead, making an immediate impact down the right wing.

After 44 appearances last season, many fans are calling for the current Crystal Palace young player of the year to begin more league games but Freedman explained his reasons why he will not always include the England U-19 international in his starting line-up.

“He’s a fantastic youngster and he’s getting better," he said.

"The problem is with the youngsters it is difficult to play them week in week out because the expectations are too high.

“What happened with Wilfried last year, he was played too much and had no impact on the side in the second half of the season.

“With Wilfried, three games a week is too much for him at this moment in time.“ Freedman also stated that fans should be patient when wanting to see the youngsters play, admitting he believes he knows what he’s doing in regards to their improvement.

“What the fans want and what they will get is what I will decide,” he added.

“We’ve got to be patient with the lads.

"I’m pretty sure I know what I’m doing with the young lads and they can’t play every game; it’s as simple as that."