In his first stint overseas, with French side Troyes, Carle struggled for game-time so he came home for the final days of the NSL.

“In hindsight France was a good move for me. I learned a lot and it helped me out for the next time I went overseas, although I did end up coming home because I just wanted to play at that age. It was a learning curve for me.”

Once the A-League kicked off he was dominating domestic midfields but it was widely acknowledged that it was only a matter of time before Carle would be jetting off for another overseas assault. With the Johnny Warren Medal sitting around his neck, the 2006/07 A-League Player of the Year was quick to make the jump to Turkey.

“You’ve got to take the opportunities when they come,” Carle insists. “You get used to moving. We’ve moved that many times – seven clubs in six years. My son’s excellent – we’ve put him through so much, but he just goes along with it.”

As a player Carle enjoys the challenge of fitting in to a different style of football.

“You’ve got to be versatile and try to adapt,” he says. “A lot of people thought that I wouldn’t be able play in England but I feel I haven’t done too badly in my first six months there.”

This time it’ll be about adapting to life in London, in the rough and tumble of the Championship – a league full of surprises.

“The Championship is a lot better than I first thought it would be. I was really surprised. There are so many good players in the Championship. A lot of the teams play direct football, and move the ball as quickly as possible.

“But you can’t go past the Premiership,” he says. “You’ve got to back yourself and I’m not happy that we didn’t go up.

"There are no positives about not going up. I want to play at that level, I want to test myself and I want to play at the highest possible level.”

Nick Carle’s career is still on the ascent with Europe and Socceroo success in his sights. However, he is aware of what Australia’s domestic competition has given to him, and is a firm advocate of its merit as a pathway for developing players.

“What lifted my profile the most was playing the first two seasons of the A-League,” he says proudly. “Everybody back home got to actually see the type player I am rather that the type of player I’ve been perceived to be in the past. As well as being known as someone who’s good on the ball. I also work very hard.”

His second stint overseas did not come until he was 25, long after many have given up on European dreams. Carle insists though that the extra time as a star in the A-League gave him the confidence and belief for a second overseas assault.

“After playing two good seasons in the A-League I was confident, I was a regular, and I was ready for the next step.”

But the A-League and Newcastle Jets in particular, remain in his heart. “I ordered the Grand Final game on TV and got up and watched it. There was no way I was missing that. I was over the moon, they really deserved it.

“I’ve always said my first option is Newcastle Jets when I get home... if they want me by then.”

So is a return to the A-League on the cards one day?

“Me and the missus have sat down and said we’d like to come home after another four years. I’m 26 now, so maybe when I’m 30 I’d come home because we love it back home... I think at 30 I’ll still have some legs.”

By then he’ll be a 15-year veteran of who knows how many clubs and leagues, but we’re betting he’ll be an established Socceroo star with more than a trick or two to offer the A-League.