Ben Davis says his loan move from English League One side Oxford United to Thai League 1 club Port is a not a step backward.
The Thai-English midfielder has joined Port on a season-long deal and scored for the Thai club in their 4-1 win over Customs United in a friendly on Sunday night.
The 21-year-old Thailand U23 player joined Oxford last year but did not play a single game for the English third-tier club.
"It's a good move for me and I am very happy to be here," said Davis who was born in Phuket and grew up in Singapore before moving to England.
"I want to show to everyone what I can do. It was a difficult decision for me as I had the chance to play in England. But they [Oxford] play with the long ball game which I am not familiar with.
"I am just 21 years old and I still have a lot of time to improve."
He said it is good for him that he knows several Port players as well as club chairwoman Nualphan Lamsam.
"Port are a big team and this season they have a new coach [Scott Cooper] and a new project. I think Thai League 1 is getting better with many good players," said Davis, who represented Singapore at the U16 and U19 levels.
"Many people may think that this is a move backward but I think it is a move forward because sometimes you have to move backward before moving forward.
"Of course, I feel the pressure because I came from Europe and people will keep a close eye on me."
Davis is Port's seventh new signing in the current transfer window.
The other six are Gustaf Sahlin, Hamilton Soares, Guilherme Ferreira Pinto, Airton Tirabassi, Suphanan Bureerat and Frans Putros.
Port, who finished eighth last season, open their T1 campaign against newcomers Lamphun Warriors at PAT Stadium on Sunday.