Winston Reid is set to continue his comeback process with more action for West Ham’s U23s against Aston Villa next Friday, according to Claret & Hugh.
The 6’2″ defender played the first half of New Zealand’s international friendly against Republic of Ireland earlier this week before being withdrawn, sparking concerns over his fitness, with the colossus having only just made a return from a long term knee injury.
But it is understood that he is well, and is expected to complete his first full 90 minutes when the Hammers face the Villans in a little under a week’s time.
OPINION
This is great news for West Ham. When Reid came off against Ireland, there were naturally those who assumed the worst, but it sounds as if it was a pre-agreed withdrawal for cautionary reasons, and having gotten some senior football under his belt, Reid will probably be all the better for it. The next step is for him to complete a full 90, and if he can do that a couple of times, then it surely only a matter of time before he’s back in contention for a starting role for the Hammers’ senior side. How they could use a player like him right now. Prior to his injury, Reid was superb, and never averaged a Whoscored rating less than 7.00 between 2012 and 2017. That kind of consistency would be a huge bonus for a side struggling as badly as the Irons are at the moment, and the sooner that they can reintroduce him to the hear of defence, the better for everybody.
