West Ham delayed defender Winston Reid's flight to New Zealand ahead of their upcoming World Cup qualifiers as he awaits scans in London after suffering from back spasms in Sunday's 3-1 English Premier League loss to Arsenal. Reid suffered the spasms late in the match but had to play on as West Ham manager Sam Allardyce had already made his three substitutions.
New Zealand Football chief executive Grant McKavanagh said the 2010 World Cup star would be available for both matches against Tahiti, the return leg being next Tuesday night in Christchurch. Reid had indicated he wanted to play in both matches and if he couldn't make the first one but was available for the second, he would still be flown out for the Christchurch fixture.
The last thing West Ham will want to do is release Reid under any sort of injury cloud but if the scans reveal nothing of concern, they have no option as the matches are in a Fifa window and New Zealand have all the rights.
Sam Allardyce is ready to give Modibo Maiga his Premier League debut after losing Ricardo Vaz Te for up to 12 weeks with a dislocated shoulder. The forward suffered the injury after a collision with Arsenal goalkeeper Vito Mannone in the second half of the Gunners’ 3-1 win at Upton Park. Vaz Te will miss at least six weeks but will have a clearer view of how long he faces on the sidelines after seeing a specialist this week.
The Hammers manager is set to put his faith in summer signing Maiga to fill the gap left by Vaz Te. Maiga has impressed Allardyce and his backroom team during training and first-team cameos during his opening weeks in England. And the 26-year-old is in line to play against Southampton on October 20. The Mali forward is yet to make a Premier League start since his £4.7million arrival from Sochaux, but has scored twice in the Capital One Cup.
Midfielder Alou Diarra has revealed his frustration at picking up an injury so soon after his move to the Premier League but is hopeful for a return sooner rather than later. The France international arrived at Upton Park form Marseille during the summer, making his debut as a substitute against Swansea City on August 25, only to suffer a thigh strain in training just weeks later.
This is Diarra's second spell in English football - the 31-year-old having been on the books at Liverpool between 2002 and 2005 - though he never played a league game for the Reds in that time.
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