SINGAPORE – Hami Syahin only made his professional debut with the Garena Young Lions last season, but the talented midfielder quickly established himself in the first team.

On Friday (Jun 2) afternoon, the 18-year-old was rewarded with a call-up to the Singapore national football team for the upcoming international break.

Hami is one of four uncapped players named in V Sundramoothy’s 27-man squad as they face Myanmar (Jun 6) and Argentina (Jun 13) in friendlies, as well as the Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup qualifier against Taiwan on June 10. The other three are fellow GYL teammate Muhaimin Suhaimi, Warriors FC defender Ho Wai Loon and Geylang International goalkeeper Syazwan Buhari.

Attacking midfielder Hami, who is the youngest and least experienced member in the team, admitted that the call came as a complete surprise.

“It’s only my second season this year, so I thought my time (to make the team) is quite long (far away),” he told TODAY after the Lions’ training session at Geylang Field on Friday night.

“It was definitely a shocking moment, getting called up for the national team at such a young age, but at the end of the day, it’s a dream come true.

“It was (also) a happy moment for me (and) I’ve made my family proud, as they have always told me to keep working hard as they want to see me in the national team.”

The sprightly teenager, who has started all 10 of the Young Lions’ S.League matches this season, is relishing the opportunity to train with the senior players.

“Since I was young, I always wanted to play for the national team with the likes of experienced players like Hariss Harun and Hassan Sunny,” he said.

“The intensity is definitely higher (here) and it was hard for me to adapt in the first few training sessions, but I am slowly getting used to it.”

Muhaimin, 22, also received his first Lions call-up and Sundram told TODAY that the pair have not looked out of place despite being new.

“They’ve been performing well for the Garena Young Lions and I’ve been watching Hami in midfield, he’s got the talent,” he said. “As for Muhaimin, he’s good on the flanks.

“The two of them are coping well and you cannot tell that they are new here. They’ve been putting themselves about and I’m happy with their effort.

“We will continue to observe them and if there’s an opportunity, we might throw the boys in during one of our upcoming matches.”

While Hami is glad to have the opportunity to learn from more established players, he is also hoping to make the final cut for the 23-man team to face Taiwan and Argentina.

“I just hope to learn from the experienced players and mature as a player,” he said. “At a young age, I don’t expect too much, now being in the team is already good enough. But who knows, if I prove something (to Sundram), I could make it to the final 23.”

He could have a better chance than he believes, with Sundram revealing that he thinks highly of Hami’s ability.

“He’s a very creative player, he can come out of tight situations and give the penetrative passes,” he said. “And it’s beneficial for him to be learning and playing with the senior creative players like Shahril (Ishak), Safuwan (Baharudin), Shahdan (Sulaiman) and Zulfahmi (Arifin)... all these players can really help him further develop his skills.

“There are a lot of factors that can affect how a player develops. But for us, we see him as a real talent and so we will give him all the necessary support so that he can move up and become a full-fledged national player.”

Hami will also play a key role in the Singapore Under-22 side that will take part in August’s SEA Games. He believes that the team is shaping up well in their quest to win the Republic’s first ever gold in SEA Games football.

“Most of the U-22s come from the Young Lions team and from what I can see, we have gelled well enough and understand each other better compared to last year so the chemistry for this year is higher,” he said. “As a team, if we believe in each other, and we will do well.”