West Ham United forgotten man Winston Reid is ‘100 per cent convinced’ he is on track to return from 19 months out through injury.
That’s according to the manager of the New Zealand All Whites football team, Danny Hay.
There was another no-show from Reid on Monday night when West Ham’s Under 23s took on Stoke.
Reid had once again been pencilled in for a return to action with the development side having not played a competitive match for the Hammers since March 2018.
The 31-year-old has been sidelined since he suffered a terrible injury against Swansea.
Reid’s long road back
The New Zealander was knocked unconscious and as he fell to the ground awkwardly, seriously injured his knee.
Reports over the weekend claimed he will be in the squad for the development side’s game at Stoke (Evening Standard).
Those claims were backed up by Hammers site Claret and Hugh, which claims to have a top level source inside West Ham.
But yet again it was another false dawn as Reid was not named in the travelling squad. And there was not even a mention of him in any of the official site’s communications on the match.
No-shows raised doubts over future
Reid, who made three appearances in pre-season before suffering another setback, was supposed to line-up for the U23s against Cheltenham two weeks ago but was pulled out of the match.
The recent no-shows have had some West Ham fans speculating the cult hero is ‘finished’ and even suggestions he should retire.
But Reid is on track to return to action for the Hammers. And he is even being considered for a soft return to the international setup.
That’s according to Kiwi’s coach Hay, who revealed what Reid told him when they spoke this week (Stuff).
“He’s saying he’s going to be right and touch wood there’s no setbacks,” Hay told Stuff.
Reid ‘100 per cent convinced’ of return
“I text him (on Tuesday) and asked him how he was going and he’s 100 per cent convinced that he’s on track and he’s going to be available, but we certainly don’t want to be putting him at risk, in terms of his body, because it’s been such a long layoff.”
New Zealand play the Republic of Ireland in Dublin on November 14 and Lithuania in Vilnius three days later.
And Hay is so confident of Reid’s return he is considering having him involved, even if he won’t play.
“Even if there were (concerns over his fitness), I’d really work hard with him to get him across from London, because I think he’s going to be an important part of our team moving forward, with his ability to lead,” Hay added to Stuff.
Some positive news at last for Reid and West Ham.
There finally appears to be some light at the end of the tunnel for the fans’ favourite.
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