Shinji Kagawa has said he believes his form will improve as he returns to full match fitness after celebrating his second Borussia Dortmund debut -- and 50th Bundesliga match -- with a goal in the 3-1 win over Freiburg.
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The Japan international, who rejoined the club from Manchester United in the summer, said he had been boosted by the huge welcome he received from an 80,000 crowd at the Westfalenstadion.
"The fans gave me a warm and fantastic reception before kickoff. That's why I really wanted to win this game today and I'm happy that it worked out," Kagawa, who was substituted on the hour, told the club's official website.
Bild reported him as saying: "I feel that I can get much better. I will continue to work hard so I can put it even better performances. If today was my best performance, it wouldn't have been that good."
Kagawa's swift turn and pass set up Dortmund's first goal and, four minutes before half-time, he scored his 22nd Bundesliga goal for the club.
Former captain Sebastian Kehl said: "Shinji is good for us, very good, especially considering our injury problems. But you could also see that he still needs a bit of time when he came off the pitch totally exhausted after 60 minutes. He still has a bit of catching up to do to keep pace with us."
BVB midfielder Kevin Grosskreutz told Ruhr Nachrichten: "I have a really good understanding with Shinji on and off the pitch."
Elsewhere, Dortmund captain Mats Hummels is expected to return to team training on Wednesday, but will sit out the Champions League first leg against Arsenal on Tuesday.
"My plan is to train with the team on Wednesday," he told the club's official website. "This week, I took a big step forward. Now I need to catch up and get fully fit."