Etheridge vows to be part of Cup in future
doha — Cardiff City goalkeeper Neil Etheridge said he hopes to be part of Philippines’ AFC Asian Cup team in the future after he was left out of the national squad for UAE 2019 owing to his Premier League commitments.
Had he been selected, his Cardiff City schedule would have allowed him to play one game for his country — against Korea Republic on January 7 — which he felt would have been unfair to other aspirants for the job, the 28-year-old said after manager Sven-Goran Eriksson named his 23-man squad on Thursday.
“It wasn’t an easy decision to make,” Etheridge told Philippines media. “As people know, I’ve worked so hard to be playing every week in the Premier League. After a long discussion with people involved, it would be unfair for me to take a spot of another player.”
Etheridge’s situation came as a boon for Michael Falkesgaard who will now be the number one goalkeeper for the Azkals, with Kevin Ray Hansen, who plays for AC Horsens in the Danish League as his back-up.
The squad has a third goalkeeper, Ace Villanueva, one of just two home-grown players picked for the tournament.
Cardiff City are currently placed 16th in the Premier League standings with 18 points from 20 matches, having defeated Leicester City 1-0 on Saturday.
Etheridge said his time will surely come.
“It (The AFC Asian Cup) is a fantastic competition and a competition that everyone in Philippine football has worked hard to be a part of,” Etheridge said.