West Ham have confirmed that centre-back Winston Reid has joined Sporting Kansas City on loan ahead of the start of the MLS season next month.
The New Zealander has recovered from a career-threatening knee injury which had kept him out of first-team action for the last two years. Fans on Twitter felt he should have been given the opportunity to prove himself following his recovery rather than being shipped out on loan:
Shocking decision. We can’t defend at the moment and letting Reid go out on loan when to be honest I’ll take him at the back.
— Alfie Norman (@AlfieNorman) 15 February 2020
If he’s fit this is a joke, which he is, so this is a joke
— SK (@Sam_Keenan1) 15 February 2020
Good luck @WinstonReid2 ?? thank you for the memories, such a shame its ended how it has. We’ve needed your leadership badly.
— Rob Waldon WHUFC ⚒ (@RobWaldon) 15 February 2020
WTF is going on with him? I’m pretty sure they won’t be covering his massive wages ?
— Rossi Benayoun (@rossco_9) 15 February 2020
Best defender we got
— Adam Rowland (@rowland_whufc) 15 February 2020
Good luck to him, hope we get to see him play for us again
— Benedict McGowan (@MineAllSell) 15 February 2020
Just… Why…?
— Leroy Boyce (@Leroy_Boyce) 15 February 2020
What a waste best defender
— Colin Greenleaf (@ColinGreenleaf) 15 February 2020
Imagine loaning out our best centre half and keeping balbuena?
— Jay Connelly (@jayconnelly67) 15 February 2020
It is a difficult decision to judge as we don’t know what type of performances Reid has been putting in on the training pitch. He may have never completely recovered from his serious injury, and it appears both Manuel Pellegrini and current coach David Moyes have had misgivings about putting him back in the side for Premier League games.
Hopefully, he can recover his level whilst out on loan in the United States in order to come back to the Hammers fit and ready to feature. Alternatively, it may well be the last time we see him in a Hammers shirt, and if so, every supporter will wish him good luck.