Socceroos winger Robbie Kruse has revealed his personal frustration after six years of injury setbacks as he aims to restore Melbourne Victory's battered A-League reputation.
Kruse's return to Melbourne for the 2019-20 campaign was a disappointment for both player and club.
The 32-year-old managed just 11 games and didn't feature after the COVID break as Victory limped to a 10th-place finish.
Kruse said a lot of his woes can be linked back a serious knee injury suffered while playing for German club Bayer Leverkusen.
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"Ever since probably 2014 when I did my ACL it's been tough but I'm really happy with how resolute I've been with coming back from these setbacks I've had," Kruse said at Fox Sports' launch of the 2020-21 season.
"It's never easy, mentally, as a sportsman to come back from these types of knocks.
"I'm on the home straight of this one and I'm looking to be back in team training in the next few weeks."
Another knee injury ended Kruse's last campaign and meant he missed Victory's Asian Champion League efforts in Qatar where Grant Brebner's team became the first A-League team in four years to reach the competition's knockout stages.
Kruse says he's aiming to be fit for the early rounds of the season and is hopeful the Champions League performance is an indicator the once-mighty Victory is on the road back to the A-League's top table.
"Melbourne Victory have put a of investment into me coming back to the club," Kruse said.
"I really wanted to come and help the club but obviously I couldn't do that as much as I'd like to last season which is disappointing for me and for the club.
"I've ticked every box so far with this injury. I'm really hopeful and optimistic that I can play a good season this year and help the club get some more silverware."