Ryan Thomas is one of the most talented players New Zealand has produced in the last decade, since 2018 he plays for Dutch giants PSV after a successful stint at PEC Zwolle.
Even with a successful career in Dutch football the 27-year-old midfielder has suffered from major injuries that have prevented him from achieving good playing time with PSV and also not allowing him from representing the national team for many times- his last appearance with the All Whites was in a friendly match against Ireland in 2019. Thomas is already close to the 600-days mark of injury period due to six injuries in his time with PSV.
And his current knee injury will cause him to miss the decisive match against Costa Rica in the intercontinental playoff for a place in the World Cup – as coach Danny Hay told the New Zealand Federation:
“We are all really disappointed that Ryan isn’t going to be able to join us, but the reality is that he is coming back from a long-term injury and hasn’t been able to play a full 90 minutes so far this season. With just over a month before we are looking to start our pre intercontinental playoff camp, it unfortunately isn’t possible he will be ready in time“, said Hay.
New Zealand faces Costa Rica on June 14th in Doha, Qatar for a place in the World Cup – unfortunately without the presence of such a talented player.
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