Arsenal youngster Reiss Nelson is in no doubt he made the right decision by joining Hoffenheim on loan.
Nelson scored as England clinched their place at next year’s European Under-21 Championship by thrashing Andorra 7-0 on Thursday night.
He moved to Germany in order to play first-team football, as his opportunities at Arsenal were likely to remain limited for the time being at least.
And he is thriving under Hoffenheim’s highly-regarded coach Julian Nagelsmann.
“A loan wasn’t always my first option, but when I heard the Bundesliga and Hoffenheim was an option for me and working with the manager there, it was something I wanted to do,” Nelson told the FA’s website.
“Julian’s a great manager and he’s got belief in young players so it’s a good place for me to go and play. He’s very young, he’s only 31 and I think it’s important to go to a team and a coach who believes in you, so he was the main reason because he is willing to play us.
“It was hard to leave my boyhood club Arsenal, it’s still my dream to play for Arsenal , but I know I have to put that on hold and go and play abroad to get some experience in Germany.
“So I’m trying to do my stuff there, get stronger and come back ready to play for Arsenal’s first team, so I had to take the opportunity to go there.”