Philippines international Sandro Reyes. Handout/PFF-PMNFT

MANILA -- National team standouts Sandro Reyes and Amani Aguinaldo will represent the Philippines when the ASEAN All-Stars play Premier League club Manchester United on May 28 in Malaysia.

The two players were selected by ASEAN Champion head coach Kim Sang-sik after their performances for the Philippine men's national team in recent months.

"It's a big honor for me," said the 22-year-old Reyes, who plays his club football for Gutersloh in Germany. "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. It's the culmination of a lot of hard work not just this whole season, but over the last year, too," he added.

"To be able to end the season in a fun game like this feels like a nice reward."

"I'm happy and grateful to be selected and to be given such a great opportunity," said Aguinaldo, for his part.

Aguinaldo is coming off a campaign with Rayong in Thailand.

Both Reyes and Aguinaldo had played crucial roles in the Philippines' campaign in the ASEAN Championship in late 2024, where they returned to the semifinals after six years. There, they also recorded a famous win over Thailand -- a first in five decades.

The match against Manchester United is part of the Premier League side's Asian tour. The Reds are also playing Hong Kong, with Ruben Amorim having called up 32 players for the post-season friendlies.

"Even though it's just a friendly, it's still Manchester United," said Reyes.

"I hope it could inspire a lot of kids in the country to see that it's possible to have success in this sport and be on the same field as the best players in the world, even if we come from a non-football country," he added.

After the friendly, Reyes and Aguinaldo will return to the Philippines to continue their build-up for an Asian Cup qualifier against Tajikistan, scheduled for June 10 at the New Clark City Stadium.