England Championship side Reading FC have signed Kenya international winger Ayub Timbe on loan until the end of the season.
The club have confirmed through their official website page the arrival of the 27-year-old with the hope the experienced winger will help the club from their current 15th position to a respectable position by the end of the 2019/20 season.
“Reading Football Club are pleased to announce that winger Ayub Masika has agreed to join the Royals on loan from Beijing Renhe until the end of the season,” the club confirmed on their website page.
“Masika has been trialing with Mark Bowen’s first team on the Hogwood Park pitches in recent weeks and has impressed to earn a loan move to RG2 which will end in June 2020.”
Royals manager Mark Bowen has welcomed the player, and he believes he will have a positive impact on his team.
“Masika is a precocious talent with real the speed that means he can hurt the opposition in good areas of the field. We’ve had a look at him in training over recent weeks and he’s shown good qualities. He’s catching up on his fitness a little bit with the Chinese league being out of season at the moment, but I think he can be a a real asset to us and I’m delighted to have him here.”
The forward was born in Nairobi but also holds Belgian nationality; he learned his trade at Anderlecht from the age of 13 and continued his footballing education in the youth ranks of Beerschot AC before signing professional terms at Genk in 2010.
At Genk, he played alongside Kevin De Bruyne and Christian Benteke and scored his first goal in a Europa League qualifying clash against FC Luzern in August 2012.
Masika went on loan to Lierse in 2014 and made the move permanent two years later, before taking up a new challenge with a transfer to the Chinese capital and Beijing Renhe in 2017.
In Asia, he was in fine form in front of goal, reaching double figures during his spells at Renhe and on loan with Heilongjiang FC in China.
On the international scene, Masika made his Kenyan debut against South Africa in October 2012, coming off the bench to play alongside Spurs star Victor Wanyama and against former Royals loanee Bongani Khumalo.
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