Andre Schürrle (r.) was involved in all three of his side's goals against Hoffenheim and instantly linked up well with Kevin De Bruyne (l.)
Andre Schürrle (r.) was involved in all three of his side's goals against Hoffenheim and instantly linked up well with Kevin De Bruyne (l.)

Schürrle: ‘De Bruyne and I just click’

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Wolfsburg - It was a script that wrote itself, as VfL Wolfsburg’s marquee winter signing Andre Schürrle put in an eye-catching performance to match that of his team-mates, ultimately having a hand in all three goals to help the 2009 champions to a 3-0 win over TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.

'There’s more to come'

The 24-year-old set-up the first, saw his effort come back off the bar before Kevin De Bruyne headed home the second and made the challenge in midfield that led to the Wolves' last goal at the Volkswagen Arena. After the match the 2014 FIFA World Cup hero shared his thoughts on a debut to remember in Lower Saxony.

Question: Andre Schürrle, what did you make of your first 90 minutes as a VfL Wolfsburg player?

Andre Schürrle: We were where we needed to be in the decisive moments and scored the necessary goals. In the second half Diego Benaglio made some outstanding saves and kept us ahead in the game. Had Hoffenheim made it 2-1 it could have led to a nervous ending. We had to dig in during the closing stages, though the victory was nevertheless deserved.

Question: You were right in the thick of things and provided the assist for Bas Dost to make it 1-0 in the 3rd minute. How did that situation play out for you?

Schürrle: I saw Bas Dost making the run into the box. We had a chat before the game about the fact that he always makes his move towards the front post. So in that situation I saw Bas and whipped the ball in. Fortunately the delivery was deflected perfectly and Bas put it away with aplomb.

Question: How important was it for you that pretty much the first action you were involved in ended up being successful?

Schürrle: Things like that help boost your self-confidence. Positive actions can do you a world of good, especially when for a long time you’ve only had brief appearances or haven’t played at all. In the last few weeks I didn’t train and hardly ever played. It feels incredibly good when everything comes together in the opening minutes. Then you can play with a greater sense of freedom and with the necessary composure. It was a super start, but at the end of the day the only thing that matters are the three points.

Question: Often times a new signing experiences problems integrating. Today your performance gave off the impression that you’ve been with this team for a long time.

Schürrle: I really felt good. At my official unveiling I already explained that the team had been outstanding in welcoming me. My team-mates immediately offered support and I felt like a part of the team straight away. I want to pay a huge compliment to the whole team, I can only thank them for what they did. When that happens it doesn’t take long to settle and that showed in my performance out on the pitch today. Things are looking really promising for when I get a little bit fitter.

Question: It was stunning how good your link-up play was with Kevin De Bruyne and Bas Dost already.

Schürrle: Kevin and I just click. We were already linking up well in training. He likes to be able to drift out wide to the left and I like to every now and then to burst through in central positions. That worked perfectly today, our movement was great. Bas did well to play the channels and held up the ball well up front. We kept things tight at the back and we threw ourselves in front of every ball in the closing stages. We deserved to win, even if we weren’t as spectacular in the second half.

Question: Based on how you played today, you could end up creating a lethal front three in the together with Bas Dost and Kevin De Bruyne.

Schürrle: To form a lethal front three will definitely take a few more games. It can all improve even more when we get to know each other better and when the lads get to know the runs I make and I know more about the runs that they make. I need a few more weeks to knuckle down to ensure I get back to peak fitness. But I felt surprisingly good today and was still making runs in the 90th minute. There’s more to come, let's just see what happens over time.

Question: Next weekend you’re taking on your former club in Bayer 04 Leverkusen. Will that be a special game for you?

Schürrle: I’ll go into that game like I go into any other. I experienced two wonderful years in Leverkusen and felt incredibly comfortable there. I’m looking forward to seeing the lads again, but I’m playing for Wolfsburg now and want to pick up three points. It will be a difficult game because Bayer have a great team, but we can beat anyone and will attempt to do that again next weekend.

Alexander Barklage reporting from Wolfsburg