Kevin de Bruyne

He was tired, really tired. After Kevin de Bruyne had gone to his stress limit Thursday morning on the ergometer, his tiredness was clear on his face. "I have some unbelievably heavy legs," admitted the young Belgian. That's understandable. The 21-year-old had gone through a mini odyssey in the past few days, including flying over the north American continent as well as a return flight to London and then a train trip from London back home to Belgium, not to mention his travel to Bremen where he will play the coming season for Werder.

"I would like to play a lot and continue to develop. That's why I came here. The club gave me a lot of trust that I would like to pay back in the coming months. I just have a good feeling," de Bruyne told anxious journalists at the end of his official presentation.

He will be wearing number six on his jersey. It's a traditional number that had previously been worn by Werder greats such as Frank Baumann and Tim Borowski. "I don't have a favourite position but rather can play in a lot of positions in the offensive midfield. But it doesn't matter whether it's outside or in the middle. I will play where I am needed," said the Belgian international, who decided early on that he wanted to be a footballer. "I left home when I was 14 to fully concentrate on my sport. Football is the most important thing in my life," said de Bruyne.

Bremen have been watching the talented Belgian for some time. "Kevin has been observed from many of our scouts. It was only positive response, nearly euphoric reports. That is unusual," said Werder board chairman Klaus Allofs. Head coach Thomas Schaaf is also happy about the acquisition. "He fits excellently to Werder. He is very active, implements his ideas and heads to the front on his own. He is exactly the player who had been missing for us," said Schaaf.

After the official presentation mid-day, de Bruyne headed directly to the training grounds, right into his work with his new teammates. But Werder's newcomer's day was not over after training as he still went through more running drills with fitness coach Reinhard Schnittker. "The tiredness is not gone, but altogether I had a good feeling," said de Bruyne while leaving the training grounds - likely still with heavy legs.