Andre Schurrle has answered Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho's calls to toughen up.
The German star has been restricted to just eight Premier League starts since his £18million move from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer, but bagged a hat-trick in Saturday's west London derby win at Fulham.
And Schurrle has revealed he was ordered to beef up by the Blues boss in a bid to make him a force in English football.
“He told me I needed to change, to change my game and my body," said the 23-year-old. "And that’s what I’ve done over the last two months.
“I’ve really worked very hard to be aggressive, to be in a good shape with my body. Now I’m ready to play more often.
“So I did a lot in the gym. But I wanted to do this, I needed to do this. The manager told me it as well.
"I wanted to change and I think I have. It was amazing to score a hat-trick, but I have to keep going.”
Chelsea's 3-1 victory at Craven Cottage tightened their grip at the top of the table.
And Schurrle sees no reason why they can't stay there.
He added: “Yes, we can win it. We have to believe it. I think everyone believes it now.
“We’ve worked hard for this. But we have to keep going, keep winning like we did at Fulham. Then we’ll see at the end.”
