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Christopher Van Huizen eyes S.League title with Tampines Rovers

After a magical season with the LionsXII that saw him earn a Singapore national team call-up along with a FA Cup winners' medal, new Tampines Rovers signing Christopher Van Huizen wants to add the S.League title to his glowing resume.

In what has been a whirlwind 12 months for the casual street footballer who turned into one of the brightest attacking midfielders for the Republic, Van Huizen's ascent to the top has been nothing short of remarkable.

"To me, it feels like I had a great season," Van Huizen told ESPN FC. "I have learned so much from the players around me and also got a better taste of what competitive and professional football is like.

"The coaches also helped me improve on aspects like off-the-ball positioning and how to build a strong mindset just to name a few. [I] couldn't have asked for a better year."

Van Huizen's LionsXII stint came to an abrupt end after the Football Association of Malaysia's decision not to renew the Memorandum of Understanding with their Singaporean counterparts, but that has come as a blessing for the winger instead.

He was already thinking of joining up with a S.League club next season, and the chance of working with V. Sundramoorthy, along with his allegiance to the Eastern giants made his decision an easy one.

"I went through a few academies but my time as a Tampines youth footballer was the one where I learnt the most," Van Huizen said.

"Getting a chance to work with coach Sundram was also a huge factor and this will be the first time I'm playing under him. I'm excited for the challenges that he will be throwing my way.

"I have always looked at Tampines as champions of Singapore football since young, and it will be a dream come true to wear the yellow jersey again."

With a number of LionsXII teammates, including Shakir Hamzah, Afiq Yunos and Shahdan Sulaiman, also signing up for the ambitious Stags unit, many football fans have already touted Sundram's team as the hot favourites to bring the S.League trophy back to Singapore.

Van Huizen agreed that Tampines deserved to be called favourites, but knows that it will not be an easy task ahead.

He added: "We [the LionsXII players] played together this season so it will definitely help us but is it something we have to keep working on.

"I'm hoping to do much better than this season of course. I want more playing time and also improve my assists and scoring record."

As for his personal target as a Stag, the confident winger is predicting at least one piece of silverware heading to the Jurong West Stadium by the end of the season.

"I really hope we can win the league and the cup competitions. We just have to focus one game at a time and work together as a unit. On a personal note, I can't wait to get involved when we take on Home United because that has always been the big clash in the league for me."

Tampines finished behind DPMM Brunei in the league this year, but with a stronger squad at V. Sundramoorthy's disposal, 2016 could be the year where the Stags lift their sixth league title.