Fil-Spanish striker Javier Patiño closer to becoming an Azkal

MANILA, Philippines – Filipino-Spanish striker Javier Patiño of Spanish second-division club Cordoba CF is expected to fly to the Philippines on Monday, January 28, to process his documents for him to be eligible to play for the national team, according to Azkals liaison officer Rafael Garcia.

The prolific striker who starts for Cordoba CF was originally scheduled to arrive in Manila on January 23 but conflict on flight schedules impeded him from taking the flight.

Garcia mentioned that the reason for the conflict is that he needed to fly back to Spain a day after his arrival for the training of his club.

“He was supposed to arrive yesterday (January 23) but there were difficulty getting flights. He’s expected to arrive Monday afternoon (January 28) to complete all his documents then he needs to fly back to Spain the morning after for his club’s training,” Garcia said on the sidelines of the PFF-Smart Club Championships press conference.

Upon completion of the processing of his documents, the 24-year-old highly-anticipated striker only needs to secure permission from his club to suit up for the Azkals for the AFC Challenge Cup Qualifiers slated on March 22-26 and for future international fixtures, according to Garcia.

“Javier (Patiño) will already be part of the AFC Challenge Cup Qualifier roster and is expected to join the team for training next month and future international games,” Garcia said.

Patiño, whose mother is a Filipina, is expected to add firepower to the Azkals attack with the anticipated team-up with Azkals striker Phil Younghusband upfront. – Rappler.com