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Wilfried Zaha has been named in Ivory Coast's provisional squad for the African Nations Cup after switching his allegiance from England, with Manchester United defender Eric Bailly also called up. Crystal Palace winger Zaha, who was born in the Ivory Coast, has won two England caps, having made his debut in a friendly against Sweden in 2012. He played in another friendly against Scotland, and the fact that both his England appearances were in non-competitive matches meant he was able to commit his international future to the country of his birth. Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate has since indicated that he would like Zaha to remain eligible for England, but the forward would permanently commit to Ivory Coast if he features in the tournament. Zaha's call-up means he could miss more than a month of the season for struggling Palace, now managed by Sam Allardyce, with the tournament beginning on Jan. 14. Defender Bailly has played in 11 Premier League games since joining from Villarreal in the summer and last played against Palace on Dec. 14, when he limped off with an injury in United's win at Selhurst Park. Ivory Coast begin their campaign against Togo on Jan. 16, with DR Congo and Morocco their other opponents in the group stage. Squad: Goalkeepers: Sylvain Gbohuo (TP Mazembe), Badra Sangare (AS Tanda), Mande Sayouba (Stabaek) Defenders: Serge Aurier (PSG), Mamadou Bagayoko (St Trond), Eric Bailly (Manchester United), Simon Deli (Slavia Prague), Ousmane Viera Diarrassouba (Adanaspor), Wilfried Kanon (La Haye), Lamine Kone (Sunderland), Adama Traore (FC Bale) Midfielders: Victorien Angban (Granada), Cheik Doukoure (FC Metz), Franck Kessie (Atalanta), Yao Serge N'guessan (Nancy), Geoffroy Serey Die (FC Bale), Jean Michael Seri (Nice) Forwards: Wilfried Bony (Stoke City), Max Gradel (Bournemouth), Salomon Kalou (Hertha Berlin), Jonathan Kodjia (Aston Villa), Nicolas Pepe (Angers), Giovanni Sio (Rennes), Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace)
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