Jamie Reid: ‘I felt a pain in my calf – it was a blood clot’

Now fully recovered, Reid says he is “absolutely delighted” to be back with Northern Ireland.

Somewhat of a late bloomer to the international stage, Reid scored on his debut against Romania in March at the age of 29, and has now won four caps.

After missing September’s matches as he recovered from the blood clot, he says he can “put it behind me”.

“I haven’t really had a pre-season, so it’s like I’m playing League One games to get fit, which isn’t ideal.

“But I’m feeling better with each game and each training, so hopefully I can get back to a place where I was.”

Northern Ireland travel to Hungary to face Belarus, a game that will be played behind closed doors due to Uefa restrictions, on Saturday before Bulgaria visit Windsor Park on Tuesday.

“I love it here and being in this set up. It’s a real privilege,” said Reid.

“I don’t have a lot of international experience, these young boys probably have more than me. But I’ve played a lot of games, through the lower leagues and up to League One, and I feel like I’ve adapted everywhere I’ve gone.”