Davis has potential to be a good player: Sundram
Professional, physical and intense - these were qualities 17-year-old Ben Davis used to describe his expectations for his first training session with the senior national team.
And yesterday evening, the fleet-footed forward got what he expected at Geylang Field.
The Lions had gathered to prepare for Friday's friendly against Maldives and their final Asian Cup qualifier away to Taiwan on March 27.
The trainee with English Championship side Fulham's Under-18 team had earlier told The New Paper about his surprise at getting his maiden Lions call-up.
He said: "It was exciting, I wasn't expecting it.
"I had just been playing in England and wasn't really paying attention. I didn't expect this call from Singapore, especially because I'm only 17."
But after his first training session, Davis was bullish about his prospects. He said: "Mentally, the introductions made me nervous, but after a while, that should go away.
"The chemistry is not there yet, but of course that can be improved."
National coach V. Sundram Moorthy believes he has the potential to develop into an important player for Singapore.
He said: "Ben is integrating with the squad well. He's just turning 18, so I believe that he's got potential to be a good player for Singapore football."
Former Singapore Sports School student Davis was born in Thailand but moved to Singapore when he was five and gained Singaporean citizenship in 2009.
After finishing his studies at the Sports School in 2015, he moved to London to study at Harrow High School in 2016.
Last July, he earned a two-year academy scholarship with Fulham, who are third in the second tier, behind Wolverhampton Wanderers and Cardiff City.
Said Sundram of the 1.72m-tall Davis: "Technically, his ball retention is good and he knows how to play."
Davis, though, believes he still has much room for improvement.
He said: "I have to call for the ball more, and sometimes I take too many touches because I am not getting the ball."
One player Davis can draw inspiration from is clubmate Ryan Sessegnon, who is also 17 and starts regularly at left wing or left back for Fulham.
In his 38 Championship games for the Cottagers this season, Sessegnon has scored 14 goals and racked up five assists, earning the reported interest of English Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United.
On Sessegnon, Davis said: "I just have to learn from him to keep my head down and keep working."
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