Philippine national men’s football team forward Gerrit Holtmann is impressed with how midfielder Sandro Reyes performed in a 2-2 draw against Tajikistan last Tuesday in the third round of the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers.

The Filipino-German recruit said he was in awe seeing a footballer play like a veteran at the New Clark City Stadium in Capas, Tarlac despite being only 22 years old.

Holtmann, who played for several teams in the Bundesliga, hopes to see Reyes in a higher league.

Reyes, who honed his skills at FC Barcelona Escola as a nine-year-old, currently plays for FC Gütersloh in the Regionalliga West, a fourth division league in Germany.

“You see his quality and I think the next step is a big step,” said Holtmann, who played his first home match for the Nationals.

“He has to leave this league because he’s too good for that. I hope he will make the next step now because when you see him, how is his ball positioning, and how he can turn.”

Last season saw Reyes play nine games for Gütersloh as they finished in second place of the Regionalliga West and earn a spot for the DFB-Pokal, Germany’s top cup competition.

Reyes is optimistic that by sticking to the system implemented by former head coach Albert Capellas, the Philippines has a chance of clinching a spot in the 2027 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia.

“We just stuck with the Maldives game plan, the Mitsubishi game plan — that’s how we know how to play football. Maybe today we were not so fluid with the ball but again it’s not easy,” Reyes said.

“It’s not as easy always but we found a way to fight and we fought really hard. We feel that the draw is not enough but we’re still top of the table.”