PHP Function to correct the issue of having duplicate variables in the same string

sanitizeDuplicates.php

<?php
    /*
    * Function to correct the issue of having duplicate variables in the same string
    *
    * Example usage:
    * $listWords['baggage_loss_amount'] = sanitizeDuplicates($listWords['baggage_loss_amount'], 'AMOUNT&&', array('3.000', '350', '700'));
    * $listWords['health_search_amount'] = sanitizeDuplicates($listWords['health_search_amount'], 'AMOUNT&&', array('2.000', '15.000'));
    *
    * @param string $string (current string to filter)
    * @param string $duplicatedVar (duplicated variable name without closures: '<' and '>')
    * @param array $replace (values replacement array for the different variables)
    * @return filtered string with correct values replacement for each given duplicated variable
    */

    public static function sanitizeDuplicates($string, $duplicatedVar, $replace) {
        // replace the variable names with the same name without the '<' and the '>' to avoid parsing them
        $string = str_replace('<'. $duplicatedVar .'>', $duplicatedVar, $string);

        // create and empty array to push the string words in the loop below
        $finalArray = array();

        // add spaces when those are missing from the original variables (i.e.: link tags)
        if ( substr_count($string, '&& ') != substr_count($string, '&&') ) {
            $string = str_replace($duplicatedVar, ' ' . $duplicatedVar . ' ', $string);
        }

        // counter initialization to number same variables and make them to diferentiate from each other
        $c = 0;

        // main words array
        $arr = preg_split('/\s+/', $string);

        // Sorting/numbering duplicated variables: split the string by each word and walk the pre_split created array
        foreach ($arr as $key => $word) {
            // once found our variable ...
            if ($word == $duplicatedVar) {
                foreach ($replace as $key2 => $value) {
                    // ... and sort out the current corresponding value ...
                    $key2 = $c;
                    // ... replace it with the corresponding value and push it into the new associative array
                    $finalArray[$key] = $replace[$key2];
                    // we need only the first result for each
                    break;
                }
                $c++;
            } else {
                // the rest of the string words are simply pushed into the new associative array
                $finalArray[$key] = $word;                
            }
        }
        // re-construct the sentence with correct variables associations
        $result = $finalArray = implode(" ", $finalArray);
        return $result;
    }