It's not been easy for the Queenslander, whose wayward youth threatened to derail a promising career which had begun at Brisbane Roar, but only really clicked when he walked through the door of what could have been his personal last chance saloon, Victory. Kruse has had to learn to adapt to the physicality of the German second division, come to grips with a new language, a long spell out with injury, a different culture and the frustration of rarely appearing in the starting line-up as his teammates kept winning, leaving no temptation for the Fortuna coaching staff to change a settled starting eleven. Fortuna managed to get promotion by winning the play-off against struggling Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin (where Socceroo team-mate Nikita Rukavytsya plays) but Kruse was not as involved as he would like in a campaign in which injury kept him out of action for 14 weeks. He made 11 appearances for the club, nine off the bench and only two in the first choice eleven. There were times, he admits, when he struggled and wondered whether he might be better leaving and going on loan to get some first-team football experience. But chats with the coach, Norbert Meier, and the Fortuna hierarchy have convinced him that he has a future with the club as it looks to revamp and strengthen in its return to the top flight in one of Europe's most competitive leagues. ''They don't want me to leave. I had been wondering about whether I should leave and go on loan to get first-team football. That was my least preferred option so I am happy they want me to stay. I believe I can fight for a first-team position,'' he said at the Socceroos Copenhagen base ahead of Saturday's friendly against Denmark. The cultural adjustment for a youngster was not easy.

''The language was really difficult. Being a foreigner new to Europe, coming here from Australia, the fact that you are going to take someone's spot in the team, living and getting used to it made it quite difficult. ''But I have really enjoyed my time there. Dusseldorf is wonderful, it reminds me a little bit of a smaller Melbourne. I like the German culture and have really adjusted myself to the way they play football. ''I have had to work hard, get stuck in. It was something in my game that I really had to work on. I am a more physical player now. ''When I first went over I wasn't, but the game there is, particularly in the second Bundesliga. ''It was a huge learning curve for me adjusting to the demands of European football, the gruelling pre-season you go through, so many matches compared to the A-League. With the A-League and its three to four months of pre-season you can gradually get fit. There it's three to four weeks, and you get smashed every single day. My body took some time to get used to it - and I haven't experienced any winters like that one just gone before.''

He talks with Socceroos German coach Holger Osieck whenever he can, and takes comfort from the fact that Osieck believes Kruse can make it in the Bundesliga, although it is a ''massive step up from the A-League''. In moments of reflection, the 23-year-old can be forgiven for wondering how quickly things can turn. He was forced out of Brisbane after getting into off-field trouble following a promising start and, had things not gone right, his future might have been all behind him at 20. ''It was difficult when I left Brisbane. I have come from some pretty bad places to where I am now and it feels good. I am a pretty regular selection in the national squad. I have got 14 caps and I am in Germany and playing for a team in the Bundesliga. Two years ago I was going to be unemployed in Brisbane and now I am living every footballer's dream. I feel this is just the beginning.''