KOTA KINABALU: Two strikers – an Englishman and a Brazilian hitman are the latest foreign hopefuls to attend trials with the Rhinos.
The duo arrived in the State Capital yesterday and will be put to test when the Rhinos take on Super League outfit DPMM of Brunei in a friendly match at the Labuan Sports Complex field tonight.
The 23-year-old Jamie Phoenix is a former England Under-17 player. He was with the Manchester City Youth team from 1994 to 1998 before signing for Bolton Wanderers (1998-2000).
After the Bolton Wanderers stint, he signed for Stafford Rangers before joining FC United of Manchester last year. He left United of Manchester early this year and signed for Dong Tap FC of the Vietnam Premier League before coming to Sabah.
The little known Brazilian – Paolo Di Oliveira – had played for a few top sides in the Brazilian League. He also has had stints with several clubs in Guatemala and El Salvador.
Assistant team manager Firdaus Datuk Anifah Aman said that they will have a close look at them before making any decision.
“We’ll give them enough time to prove their worth. Besides the Labuan trip, we will also be playing against an Indonesian club on November 10. We will also be using the match to try out the foreign imports,” Firdaus said.
Firdaus said they have named a 21-member squad for the Labuan trip including Jamie and Paolo.
The other foreign players in the team are Bosnian defender Dragic Dalibor and Nigerian striker Obasi Churchill Emmanuel.
While Dragic is almost certain to don the Rhinos colours, this trip could be the final place for Obasi to impress the FA selection panels.
The rest of the players making the trip are Irwan Jamil, Azrul Ejati Damsah, Harold John, Hisamuddin Othman, Mohd Munir Amran, Mohd Nafuzi Mohammad Zain, Wong Sai Kong, Chow Chee Wing, Radzi Mohd Hussin, Julamri Muhammad, Rosdin Wasli, Hardy Charles Parsi, Zainizam Marjan, Henry Parsi, Eddy Gapil, Salvester Sindeh and Zuraindey Jumai.
