Hay hopes Reid is right to continue

All Whites coach Danny Hay hopes the team hasn’t seen the last of captain Winston Reid after he tore a groin muscle during their World Cup playoff loss to Costa Rica.

Hay said the centre back suffered the injury about 35 minutes into the match at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, which New Zealand lost 1-0 after a third-minute goal from Joel Campbell.

Reid played on until the 72nd minute, when he was replaced by Elijah Just as the All Whites adjusted following the sending off of forward Kosta Barbarouses.

‘‘He said that in about the 35th minute he just sort of slipped on the surface,’’ Hay said of Reid the day after.

‘‘He said he tore it, so he managed to battle through for quite some time, and that shows what a warrior he is.

‘‘He was immense while he was on, but when we went down to 10 men, it was going to be probably a bit too much of an ask to carry on.’’

Reid had been managing tightness in his groin in the leadup to the one-off playoff, but trained in the days before the clash with Costa Rica and wasn’t visibly encumbered.

He has been without a club for more than 12 months but has made seven appearances for his country in that time, as well as three for the Olywhites at last year’s Tokyo Olympics.

When the All Whites squad was named for the World Cup playoff last month, Reid said he wanted to find a club after the match, regardless of whether they won and qualified, but he will now have to rehab his groin injury as he does so, which could throw up fresh challenges.

Reid is the oldest member of the All Whites squad, turning 34 in July, and with the next World Cup now four years away as far as New Zealand is concerned, the extent of his international future is now up in the air.

Hay said: ‘‘If I had my way, I’d convince him to stay on.

‘‘He’s still got a lot to offer on the pitch and ultimately even when he does hang up his boots, I think he’s such an important person to keep involved in the national team.

‘‘The shape that he’s in now is the best shape of his life. I’ve said that multiple times.

‘‘If he can find a club and get regular games under his belt, I think he’s going to be flying.’’

Hay said some of the younger players in the All Whites felt Reid had been amazing during the buildup to the World Cup playoff, which began with a camp in the south of Spain that started at the end of May.

‘‘His calmness and experience and leadership has been incredibly important for the players.

‘‘He’s really emerged as a true Kiwi leader in the form of a Ryan Nelsen.’’

Reid’s club career has been stopstart since he suffered a serious knee injury in March 2018 while playing for West Ham United in the English Premier League that sidelined him for more than 18 months.

His next senior appearance after that wasn’t until November 2019, when he led the All Whites against the Republic of Ireland – Hay’s first match in charge.

A loan move to Sporting Kansas City in the United States kept him active in 2020, while another loan move, to Brentford, who were then in England’s secondtier Championship, helped him prepare for the Olympics in 2021.

After the Olympics, he agreed to terminate his contract at West Ham, and he has been a free agent ever since, now living in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates after leaving London.

In May, Reid said his family would be up for another move if his destination at club level required one.

‘‘I haven’t set a geographic location in mind, it’s just something that has to fit in with the whole picture.’’