Hamburg coach Bruno Labbadia is looking forward to working with U.S. international Bobby Wood.

Wood, 23, will join Bundesliga club Hamburg from second-tier side Union Berlin after this summer's Copa America Centenario in the United States. Following a standout season in the second league, the forward at the weekend signed the four-year deal.

"He still has a lot of potential to develop," he said. "He's a lad on the way up. His career, contrary to that of many others, wasn't always a straight climb upward.

He took a detour 18 months ago when joining [Erzgebirge] Aue on loan, he made a step back to make two steps ahead," Hamburg coach Bruno Labbadia told kicker about the U.S. international.

Bobby Wood has said that Hamburg was the right decision for him. AP Photo/ Moises Castillo

In his sole year at Union Berlin, Wood scored 17 goals, more than any other U.S. player in Germany ever.

"After his top season at Union, I still see a lot of development potential in him," Labbadia added.

Wood, meanwhile, has left Germany for Miami, where the U.S. team is preparing for the 2016 Copa America.

Speaking to Berlin-based tabloid BZ prior to leaving the capital, Wood said that he listened to his instinct when making the decision for Hamburg.

He said: "It's bittersweet that I am gone now. I liked it at Union, but my gut told me that Hamburg is the right decision for me. Hamburg have a lot of potential, I believe. They are a traditional club."