Former Germany goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand will make his Schalke debut this week, although not in the first team's DFB-Pokal match against Karlsruhe.

Instead, the 32-year-old will pick up match practice with the club's youth team against Standard Liege on Wednesday after coming through his first training session with his new colleagues today.

"I really enjoyed training," said Hildebrand, who has joined the Royal Blues on a contract until the end of the season due to a serious injury to regular No1 Ralf Fahrmann. "After returning to Germany from Sporting Lisbon, I trained a long time on my own.

"Recently, I have kept myself fit for four weeks with Eintracht Frankfurt, but it is different when you are just a guest in training. I am just delighted to be able to be part of a team again."

Hildebrand revealed he had turned down offers from the Netherlands, Turkey and France before joining Schalke, and he does not regret waiting, even though he may have to wait a little longer before appearing in the Bundesliga.

"I have always been one to follow my gut feeling and I wanted to wait until the right offer came, and that has now happened," he told his club's website.

"I am fit and only the coach can now decide when I will play. I am not being presumptuous; I don't have to play immediately. I just have to work hard and prove myself to the coach."