BERLIN: Injury-prone Germany defender Holger Badstuber is relishing his loan transfer from Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich to Schalke 04 until the end of the season to help kick-start his career. “Schalke is a club with a great fan base, a great stadium, a young and hungry team, plus a trainer I rate highly,” Badstuber told Sky as Bayern finished their winter training camp in Doha. “The overall package is very exciting for me. “I am an emotional player and I need an emotional environment.” The Royal Blues beat off competition from Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, Hamburg and Swansea City for the centre-back, who won the last of his 31 caps for Germany in March 2015. The short-term switch to Schalke benefits all parties. Badstuber, 27, who suffered numerous injuries in the last four years, including back-to-back knee injuries, has played just 28 minutes of Bundesliga football since October. He was Bayern’s fourth-choice centre-back behind Germany pair Jerome Boateng and Mats Hummels, plus Javi Martinez. His Bayern contract expires at the end of the season, but head coach Carlo Ancelotti has made it clear the loan transfer will not be made permanent. At Schalke, who are 11th in the table, Badstuber will pair up with Germany defender Benedikt Hoewedes under head coach Markus Weinzierl.