New Zealand head coach Danny Hay has revealed that West Ham United defender Winston Reid has returned to the club after their 3-1 defeat to the Republic of Ireland on Thursday.
Football.London journalist Sam Inkersole shared on his personal Twitter account that the 31-year-old had suffered no fresh injuries, but it was an agreement that was already in place for Reid to return to East London early after the first game.
New Zealand manager Danny Hay confirms Winston Reid will be returning to #WHUFC and not travelling as part of the Kiwi squad to play Lithuania. No injury, just an agreed withdrawal.
— Sam Inkersole (@Sam_InkersoleTM) November 15, 2019
The Hammers’ enforcer captained the Kiwis in Dublin and was replaced after 45 minutes with the scores level at 1-1, and will now miss out on their trip to face Lithuania on Sunday.
OPINION
Every West Ham fan will surely have been fearing the worst when acknowledging that Reid was returning to the club after only completing 45 minutes. That will quickly have changed to a sigh of relief when realising it was all part of the plan. The Hammers may not have been too happy that Reid was called up for international duty despite having not played a competitive fixture for the club in more than a year, but the exposure on the international stage was a great step for Reid to take in his rehabilitation. The Kiwis defender came out of the clash unscathed and is certainly edging closer towards being back in Manuel Pellegrini’s matchday squad, and should he have a strong week of training, there is no reason as to why he wouldn’t be selected to at least be on the bench against Tottenham after the break – especially given their current form in the Premier League.
