Benjamin Fredrick is a Nigerian Under-20 central defender who joined Brentford on loan in the summer from Nigerian club side, Simoiben FC.
Brentford B centre-back, Benjamin Fredrick, has shared how Super Eagles midfielder, Frank Onyeka has been helpful to him since his move to England, Soccernet.ng reports.
Benjamin, 18, joined The Bees on loan in August from Simoiben F.C. in Nigeria, with an option to buy permanently included in the deal and was immediately drafted into the B team.
Benjamin features for the same club Onyeka does, except that the latter plays for the club's senior team, and following an interview on the club's official website, the defender revealed his role model to be Sergio Ramos.
“I look up to Sergio Ramos, he’s my role model. I love his mentality on the pitch and off the pitch. When I’m on the pitch I always want to play like Ramos, because of his mentality on the pitch, he hates losing. I hate losing, I always want to win.”
For Fredrick, hard work has been ingrained in him since his time in Nigeria, and he revealed Frank Onyeka has helped him reiterate that.
“Onyeka told me a lot about the club, he told me I need to work hard, he told me the club is a good club, it’s like a family and I’ve seen it since I’ve been here. He always encourages me, everybody loves me and I love all my mates, I’m grateful for that,” the ex-Nassarawa United defender added.
Coming to grips with life being in a Premier League club, Fredrick has noticed the level at which the men's first team trains and plays, a level he hopes to achieve during his career.
“It's tough, very tough. You have to be strong and work hard to be on the pitch in the Premier League, therefore I'm doing my best. That's my dream, to be there, to be in the first team, to play at the top league, that's my dream,” He added.
The teenage sensation is doing everything he can to remain in the Brentford setup even after the end of his loan term.
It’s great to hear such warm words of encouragement.