Nathan Burns turns up early for loan spell with Newcastle Jets Nathan Burns is back in Australia and keen to get started with the Newcastle Jets. Picture: Liam Driver Source: DailyTelegraph FRINGE Socceroo Nathan Burns has arrived in Newcastle a few weeks ahead of schedule and says he is excited about the prospect of forming a lethal attacking partnership with Jets marquee striker Emile Heskey in the A-League. And while he claims World Cup selection next year would be the ""icing on the cake," Burns maintains his only real focus right now is getting back on the field, playing some good football for his new club and re-establishing his career. Ahead of his first training session with the Jets today, Burns told The Daily Telegraph he is keen to make the most of his latest opportunity. "I'm excited to be back in Australia and really looking forward to meeting all the boys and getting stuck in,""Burns said. I've been overseas now for nearly six years. The timing was right to come back, regroup and go from there. I'm just looking forward to the challenge."" Currently contracted to Korean club Incheon United, Burns" opportunities in the K-League have been restricted to just three appearances since he signed in early 2012 because of injury and a change of coach. "I signed a three year deal but two months into that contract, the coach that brought me there (Huh Jung-Moo) got fired,"Burns said. Then I was out for nearly six months with a knee injury and while I've been back for the past six months, it's been difficult to get back in the team. They've been winning and the coach hasn't wanted to change too much so my opportunity just hasn't come. I wasn't getting any match time which is why I was keen to play here."" Burns" motives for an A-League return can't be questioned. It was he who instigated talks with the Jets after the club had shown interest in him in the past and he has taken a financial hit to ensure his Korean club were well compensated in exchange for agreeing to release him on loan. "I didn't go into descussions with other teams," Burns says. I just focused on making this happen. We didn't want to get into a bidding war and get other teams involved because the loan deal would never have happened. I just wanted to keep it simple and low key and make it happen. At the end of the day, the most important thing for me right now is to play. There is no point just sitting over there taking the money and not playing. The club was good, they've treated me well but I wasn't happy because I wasn't playing. The loan deal runs out in mid February so I'll play 14 or 15 games here before being due to go back to Korea. But we'll see what happens then. At the moment, I'm just going to take it a game at a time and try my very best for the Jets."" Burns" career has taken him from the small Central Western country town of Blayney where he grew up to Sydney, where he moved when he was 14, leaving family and friends behind to attend the NSWIS. He was a rising star by the time he attended the AIS in 2006 before linking with Adelaide in the A-League for two seasons as a teenager, scoring nine goals in 31 appearances including the Reds first hattrick. It was from there he caught the eye of Greek powerhouse AEK Athens, with his four year stint co-inciding with seven appearances for the Socceroos. "When I left to go overseas, I left at the right time,"Burns says. I played Europa League, I played with great players and my game improved as a result. I'm proud of what I achieved over there to be honest and don't have any regrets leaving when I did. But you get different experiences wherever you play and the A-League is a lot different now - a lot stronger than when I left Adelaide. On the opportunity to play alongside the likes of Heskey, Michael Bridges and some of the best crop of young players in Australia, Burns doesn't hide his excitement. "Playing with Emile Heskey - it's unbelieveable,"Burns says. I looked up to him because I'm a Liverpool fan. It will be awesome. Just the opportunity to play with him and learn from him. He's so experienced. His resume speaks for itself and Michael Bridges is the same. I haven't met them yet but I'm told they are really good guys and really professional. It should be great. On his prospects of World Cup selection next year, Burns says: "We'll see but it's going to come down to really playing well for the Jets. If I focus on the Jets and play really good, hopefully I can select myself for another opportunity with the Socceroos. Brazil seems so close now but it's still 10 months away and that's a long time in football. There is probably only one or two players that are guaranteed of selection. "It's going to come down to who is in the best form at the right time. ""