Sometimes the final step of any journey can be most difficult to make – but for West Ham United defender Winston Reid, there is light at the end of the proverbial tunnel.
With nigh on ten seasons’ exemplary service in Claret and Blue under his belt, the long-serving New Zealand defender is looking forward to getting back to doing what he does best: defending without compromise on a football pitch.
The Irons’ No2 has fought hard to return from the serious knee injury sustained in a freak collision against Swansea in March 2018, and could be set to put a year-and-a-half’s road to recovery behind him in the near future.
And while the defender was keen to stress it will take time to readjust to the routinely demands of first-team football, there’s no understating the boost a fully prepared Winston Reid could provide to manager David Moyes and his squad.
That’s probably the toughest thing, because there’s being back fit and available, and then there is getting back into a rhythm
Winston Reid
“I think you know, in terms of yourself, I think you know when you get to a point when you’re not just going to go straight in…” Reid reflected.
“More than anything else, it’s about getting back into a rhythm again, getting back into a rhythm of training, and doing all this, and playing and whatever.
“That’s probably the toughest thing, because there’s being back fit and available, and then there is getting back into a rhythm. It’s fine now, the injury’s healed now, there’s no issues with it – so now it’s about finding out where I am at on the pitch.
“As a team, we have been in this situation a few times. I understand that it’s not about panicking. The players have to support each other, whichever player plays, and then it’s just about being there.”
Reid dons the cover of issue 13 of West Ham United's 116-page Official Programme – Hammer – for the 2019/20 season.
The eye-catching publication sees the Club make a move away from the traditional format to produce a football magazine that will maintain supporters’ interest long after the final whistle.
With cutting-edge design, exclusive interviews, attention-grabbing opinions and eye-catching photographs, plus the regular news, columns and statistics and insightful content from across all areas of the Club, Hammer is the definitive Claret and Blue publication for West Ham fans.
Priced at just £3.50, Hammer is also the best-value matchday magazine anywhere in the Premier League and will be available in and around London Stadium on Saturday!
