In the five-against-two game in this morning's training session, Thomas Meunier seemed full of concentration. The full-back chased down every ball energetically and it seemed like just about each one of his attempted tackles ended in success. On the field, Meunier sees himself as a worker - a perfect match for a working-class city like Dortmund: "I am not super talented. I work hard and don't complain, even if I don't like something. I just do it because it is part of the job. I never give up."

The new arrival from Paris St. Germain has now been in Dortmund for approximately 10 days: "My first days here have been very good - both on and off the pitch. The players and all the coaching staff have given me a warm welcome." After getting to know his teammates over the past week, Meunier is sure of one thing: "We have a good group here."

At 28, Meunier is one of the older players in the Black & Yellow squad, and he already considers himself as an older brother figure for the young talents in the team. Alongside other experienced players such as Axel Witsel and Lukasz Piszczek, Meunier wants to help the young players improve.

As for his personal ambitions at BVB, the Belgian had the following to say: "I've played with ambition at every club I've been at. At Bruges, I won the cup and the league title, and at PSG I also won the cup and the league title." A feat he hopes to repeat in Dortmund, ''even if it may take some time. In Germany there are several clubs that can fight for a place in the top three and even be up there contesting for the league title." Meunier watched various BVB games last season, and thought the club performed particularly well in the second half of the season.

BVB set a new club record for goals scored last season, which very much suits the newcomer's footballing philosophy: "I want to play attacking football,'' says the Belgian, perhaps alluding to the fact that he used to play as a classic number nine at the start of his career. He has since moved back a few positions on the pitch, but he still likes to get forward and provide assists for his teammates from wide positions.

Christina Reinke