Veteran midfielder signed for rivals Heart this summer with the two set to meet on the A-League opening day.
Harry Kewell has sent an ominous warning to former club Melbourne Victory fans that booing him will only motivate him to play better.
The 34-year-old signed for Melbourne Heart in June following a season out of the game in which he moved back to England due to family reasons before briefly turning out for Qatari club Al-Gharafa.
Kewell’s first match for Heart will be against his former club in the Melbourne derby on the opening day of the A-League and the Socceroos legend says it won’t bother him if the Victory supporters afford him a venomous greeting.
“Why would they boo me? I went for family reasons. You know what, the more they boo, the better I play,” he queried during an interview with SEN.
Ultimately the goal for Kewell is to make it back into Holger Osieck’s Australia squad in time for the World Cup in Brazil next year after he was omitteed for the East Asia Cup earlier in July – a decision he fully understands.
“He (Osieck) knows that I’m playing for Heart, he knows what I’m capable of doing but I think he made the right decision beforehand (East Asia Cup),” The former Liverpool and Leeds winger added.
“I wasn’t ready to play in these games and as much as I want to play, it’s a privilege to play for your country, but I think he made the right decision.
“The only thing I can do now is not only prove to myself but prove to the nation that I’m ready to step up and go to Brazil but first and foremost my job is for the Melbourne Heart.”
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