Sydney: Australia striker Robbie Kruse is starting to feel more like his old self after knee reconstruction, which might be very good news for the Socceroos as they head towards the Asian Cup.

The 26-year-old missed the World Cup earlier this year because of the injury and looked off the pace on his return to the national side in friendlies against the UAE and Qatar.

In Osaka for Australia’s last friendly before January’s Asian Cup next week, the Bayer Leverkusen forward admitted he had been well short of fitness in the trip to the Arabian Gulf.

“Obviously, they were my first two games in a year from the beginning and I was lacking match-fitness and awareness of what I was doing,” he said.

“I’m starting to feel more comfortable in myself and in my knee and I’m starting to feel more like I did before the injury.

“I’m a lot more confident in one-on-one situations and in what I need to do. I’m coming off the bench more at Leverkusen. I think I’m close to getting back into the starting XI.”

A fully-fit Kruse, who has won 31 caps for his country since making his debut in a warm-up for the 2011 Asian Cup, could make a big difference for a side that, Tim Cahill apart, has been goal-shy this year.

Coach Ange Postecoglou has come in for some flak for Australia’s stuttering form and Kruse said the chance to get the squad together for a week before next Tuesday’s match against the Blue Samurai was “massive”.

“[Ange] spoke to us briefly last night about how important it’s going to be to really buy into his philosophy and the formation he wants to do,” Kruse said.

“This is a perfect situation for us to put together the formation and everything he wants to do, which is obviously a good brand of football, passing the ball.”

Kruse came on as a substitute in the 2011 Asian Cup final against Japan and came close to scoring the winner before ending up on the losing side, an experience he said would act as a spur for the Socceroos in the January 9 to 31 tournament on home soil.

“For the players that were there, it gives you the motivation not to have that losing feeling again,” he said.