SINGAPORE — When Christopher Van Huizen joined five-time S.League champions Tampines Rovers last December from the now-defunct Malaysian Super League (MSL) side LionsXII, there were plenty of expectations of one of the brightest young talents in Singapore football.

Fast-forward eight months and not everything has gone according to plan. Last Friday, the 23-year-old was sent out on loan to S.League bottom dwellers Garena Young Lions until the end of the year.

The past year has seen Van Huizen enduring a frustrating spell at Tampines, where he featured for the Stags just nine times in the S.League and found opportunities to showcase his talent hard to come by.

Speaking to TODAY, Tampines head coach Akbar Nawas said that it was with a “heavy heart” that he sent Van Huizen out on loan.

“Chris has bags of talent and is hardworking, but unfortunately he was not getting enough playing time here due to the competition from the more experienced and senior players in the team,” explained the 41-year-old.

“By going to the Young Lions, he will get more playing time and the opportunity to showcase his talent on a regular basis. I have known Chris since he was 16, having coached him at the youth level so, personally, this was not an easy decision to make. But it was one that had to be made for the greater good of the player.”

While Van Huizen admits that he was disappointed with his brief spell at Tampines, he agrees with Akbar that this is the correct move to make at this point of his career.

“After a good season with LionsXII last year, I was naturally disappointed to have not featured more for Tampines,” he explained. “Things did not go as well as I hoped far, and I am looking forward to a new challenge with the Young Lions. They are a passionate and hardworking team with everyone fighting for a chance to play in next year’s South-east Asian (SEA) Games. I know most of the players in the team, so settling in will not be an issue, it’s more (about) getting to know their style of play.”

Reflecting on his time at Tampines, Van Huizen, who rose to prominence during MediaCorp’s football reality TV series The First XI back in 2013, believes the experience he has gained from playing and training with some of the best players in the S.League will certainly help him in the future.

“The experience I had at Tampines ranks as one of the best in my career so far,” said the 2015 Malaysia FA Cup winner, who had three goals and seven assists with the LionsXII last season. “Most of the players are regulars with the national team and then of course you have the foreigners Jermaine (Pennant) and Billy (Mehmet). I learnt a lot from all of them and I am very grateful.”

Van Huizen was left out of national head coach V.Sundramoorthy’s 25-man squad for the Lions’ training tour to Japan later this month, and with the Asean Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup fast approaching, many believe that he may not make the final cut due to his lack of playing time. But he is not panicking just yet.

“At the moment, my top priority is to start playing regularly and get my fitness back to the right level,” he said. “Of course, there is the Suzuki Cup coming and I want to represent Singapore.”