MANILA, Philippines -- Filipino-German striker Gerrit Holtmann is expected to make his highly-anticipated debut for the Philippine Azkals later this month.

According to team manager Dan Palami, Holtmann will join the national team in the upcoming FIFA window, where the Azkals will play in a tri-nation tournament in Singapore.

"He has already responded and has already made arrangements for his flights going to Singapore," Palami said in a recent press conference.

Holtmann, 26, has a Filipino mother, making him eligible to play for the Philippines. He was originally called up for the joint FIFA World Cup/AFC Asian Cup qualifiers in June 2021, but could not complete the necessary paperwork in time to join the team.

It appears that everything has been worked out as the striker is finally set to feature for the Philippines in the tournament against Singapore and Malaysia, set for the March 21-29 international window.

"It is very seldom that a player of that quality has enthusiastically expressed interest to play for us," Palami said of Holtmann. "It took a while, and [coach] Scott Cooper had been working on him for the last two years to convince him, and finally, he agreed."

Holtmann currently plays for VfL Bochum in the Bundesliga, the top flight of German football. He has been with the club since August 2020, scoring five goals in 18 appearances.

The Fil-German made headlines when he won the Bundesliga's Goal of the Year award for 2021 after his stunning solo effort against Mainz 05 in August that year.

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"I think for football-loving fans who follow other leagues like the Bundesliga, we know how Gerrit has been making waves in that league, and it's important that we cap him immediately before Germany comes knocking on his door," Palami stressed.

Aside from Holtmann, also tipped to make their debuts in the March friendlies are Fil-Spanish defender Diego Bardanca and Enrique Linares, according to Palami.

"We'll get to assess them, plus the other players who have been with us for a while. We will be using this particular tournament to determine the squad that we'll be using for the Asian Cup qualifiers in Mongolia this June. That's going to be the main objective of these friendlies," said Palami.