Schalke 04 striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar has expressed his joy at being back in action following a lengthy spell on the sidelines through injury.

Huntelaar made an immediate impact on his return on Sunday when he opened the scoring for his side against Hamburg, sending them on their way to a 3-0 victory.

That result left the Royal Blues just two points off the Champions League places in the Bundesliga table, and Huntelaar has now set his sights firmly on qualifying for Europe's premier competition next season.

"It was an outstanding team performance. We were extremely aggressive, but also played great football. The good start obviously made things easier for us," Huntelaar told reporters.

"We dominated proceedings and showed how much we wanted to win. I was really happy to return to the pitch today and things worked out really well for me too.

"Our aim this season is to snatch fourth place and reach the Champions League."

Schalke's next match comes this Saturday when they host Wolfsburg.