SANDRO Reyes and Amani Aguinaldo will represent the Philippines as members of the ASEAN All-Stars that will play Manchester United on Wednesday in Kuala Lumpur.
The Philippine Football Federation (PFF) made the announcement following the decision of ASEAN All-Stars coach and Vietnam national mentor Kim Sang-sik to select the two for the friendly.
The selection gives Reyes and Aguinaldo the chance to play among the best Southeast Asian players, so the two consider it an honor to be part of the friendly against the 20-time England champions and three-time European titlists.
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Reyes treats the selection as an incentive for the work he put in this season for the Philippine national team and his club FC Gutersloh.
“It’s a big honor for me personally, but first I have to thank the entire team and staff, as I’m not able to perform without all of them, so each person deserves this as much as I do,” said Reyes in a statement after his selection to be part of the team that will go up against one of the biggest clubs in the world.
“It’s the culmination of a lot of hard work not just this whole season, but over the last year too. To be able to end the season in a fun game like this feels like a nice reward,” said Reyes, who plays midfielder for the national squad.
The two were also part of the Philippines’ semifinal finish in the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup last December.
“I'm happy and grateful to be selected and to be given such a great opportunity,” said Aguinaldo, who is coming off a solid performance as a defender with Rayong in Thailand league.
After the friendly, Reyes and Aguinaldo will go home to the Philippines for the AFC Asian Cup qualifier match against Tajikistan on June 10 at the New Clark City Stadium.
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