Nahki Wells said he was not prepared to “risk his career” by playing for Bermuda in their Caribbean Cup matches against French Guiana and Dominican Republic.

Wells, who captained Bermuda during last year’s World Cup qualifying campaign, made himself unavailable for this week’s games because of a knee injury he picked up last month.

He missed Huddersfield Town’s final game of the Sky Bet Championship season at home to Brentford and subsequently received treatment in England before returning home to visit his family.

“I wouldn’t have had any issue with playing if I hadn’t struggled towards the end of the season and been able to finish 100 per cent,” Wells told The Royal Gazette.

“I couldn’t just go and play an international fixture having not trained for more than a month.

“It would have been a big risk for my career and I didn’t have the time to recover.

“I had to do what’s best for myself, my country and my club. In no way, shape, or form would I have been able to play.”

Wells has hailed last season as his “best ever”, believing it eclipsed his 2012-13 campaign with Bradford City when he helped them reach the Capital One Cup final and won promotion to League One.

He scored 18 goals in all competitions last term, with several bigger clubs rumoured to be interested in signing him.

“I think it has to be my best season as it’s two levels above what I did at Bradford,” said Wells, who travels to Sweden to start his preseason with Huddersfield at the end of the month.

“I never doubted that I could score the same amount of goals, if not more, than the big names in the division.”

Wells has not played for Bermuda since March last year in a World Cup first-round qualifier against Bahamas, scoring twice in a 3-0 win at home to Bahamas.

Bermuda play Dominican Republic tonight at the National Stadium in the second round of the Caribbean Cup.

Their opening group four match away to French Guiana on Wednesday was called off after 41 minutes because of torrential rain with Bermuda leading 1-0 thanks to a Damon Ming goal.

It is not yet known whether the match will be replayed.

The second round of the competition involves five groups, with the winners and four best runners-up advancing to the third round to be held from October 3 to 9.