Reid may miss rest of EPL season
All Whites captain Winston Reid is not guaranteed to be back on the field before the end of the English Premier League season.
Reid suffered a groin injury in West Ham United’s clash with Leicester City on Sunday, limping off London Stadium in the 18th-minute of his team’s eventual 3-2 defeat.
Initial signs were not great and the following day it was officially confirmed the 28-year-old centreback would not be returning to New Zealand for the All Whites twolegged World Cup qualifying tie against Fiji, which starts in Lautoka on Saturday.
Further news on Reid’s situation arrived yesterday when Jack Sullivan, the son of West Ham coowner David Sullivan, posted an injury update on social media.
‘‘Reid scan later this week, but at least 4-6 weeks and might be longer,’’ Sullivan posted to Twitter.
West Ham have nine games left in their EPL season, finishing with an away match against Burnley on May 21.
A four-week absence could have him back for a clash with Everton on April 22, while six weeks would have him in line to return against Tottenham Hotspur on May 6.
But with just two games coming after that home encounter with Tottenham, it appears a real possibility Reid may have played his last part in the Hammers’ 2016-17 Premier League campaign.
All Whites coach Anthony Hudson, who spoke with Reid briefly following the game and said the injury ‘‘looked bad’’, will no doubt be hoping his skipper’s recovery goes as well as possible.
New Zealand play their first warmup clash for the Confederations Cup less than two weeks after the end of the EPL season, a match against Northern Ireland in Belfast on June 2.
The All Whites open their Confederations Cup campaign just 15 days later when the face hosts Russia in the tournament opener in St Petersburg.
The update on Reid was not the worst news West Ham fans received yesterday. Jack Sullivan also posted that Spanish midfielder Pedro Obiang was set to miss the rest of the season with his ankle injury, while winger Michail Antonio would be out for three to four weeks with the hamstring injury.