Australia national team manager Holger Osieck is delighted that Robbie Kruse has come out the other side.
The former Brisbane Roar and Melbourne Victory attacker has made it in the German Bundesliga with Fortuna Dusseldorf and Osieck has been thrilled to watch him to develop from a talented youngster to a capable player in one of Europe's top leagues.
"I'm very happy with Robbie's progress; we had a very tough time together when he was just fringe in their (Dusseldorf's) second division team. Now they've got promoted and he's a regular starter," Osieck said on Sunday Shootout on Fox.
"It took a lot of talks, a lot of psychological push to keep him on track. He was very frustrated at times, but I think it always helped he was invited to the national team, got some playing time and he was happy being in a familiar atmosphere. All of those aspects helped him.
"He really got through hell and I really hope he enjoys the sunshine a bit more."
