"The long-term injuries I sustained were pretty much from unlucky accidents," he says. "When I ruptured my ankle ligament it was from a bad tackle in training. I don't know how you can avoid these things. You can only do as much as you can off the field."

Spiranovic has similar sentiments about the hamstring injury which halted his progress at Urawa in 2010. "It was actually my first hamstring injury. It was a little bit unlucky how it happened in a game against Cerezo. I went up for a header and came down awkwardly on my leg with all my weight on it. These things happen, I suppose," he ponders.

"I think I'd played 12 or 13 games consistently there. I'd had a good run. The team's form was coming good, also coming back from the national team. It was a little bit of a hiccup, but that's football and you just have to get on with it."

Originally joining on loan, Spiranovic signed a one-year permanent deal with Urawa in December rather than return to Nurnberg where he had six months left on his contract. He claims Saitama-based Urawa - Japan's best supported club - are looking after him which is helping him overcome his injury issues.

"The club here is very professional," he says. "I feel they've played a big part. Apart from the hamstring injury, I've been able to keep myself in good condition. That goes right through the coaching staff and the medical staff. The training facilities are good, that all plays a key part of staying fit and staying on the field."

He adds about the club who average 40,000 supporters per home game: "The fans here are amazing. They're very passionate and have high expectations and rightfully so. It was only three or four years ago they won the league and the [Asian] Champions League.

"From my first week in Japan, walking the streets, Saitama is very much a football town. Coming here and seeing the supporters, the fans and the fantastic stadium, all these things contributed to my final decision [to stay here]."

Urawa's Asian Champions League success came back in 2007 when the club was coached by current Australia coach Holger Osieck. Spiranovic admits that connection helps his Socceroos aspirations.

"I suppose it helps the fact that Holger knows the league well - the standard and the quality," he says. "A lot of the boys I play with here, they played under Holger. Obviously when Holger was appointed coach, the boys were speaking to me about him and that was nice to get an insight into what he's like. In saying that throughout my whole club career I've always had German coaches so I kind of knew what to expect from that side of things."

Spiranovic, though, didn't know what to expect when he made the switch to the Land of the Rising Sun but says he's been able to make a smooth transition into Japanese life.

"To be honest it's been a lot easier than I thought," he says. "Coming here the Japanese people are very welcoming. There's also a few other foreign boys at the club, so having those boys around helped me fit in a lot. Also having Josh Kennedy playing at Nagoya he's always there to lend support, so that's nice."

While for now he's happy in Japan at present, Spiranovic admits he still harbours ambitions to play in Europe again.

"I don't know exactly where," he says. "But I definitely want to go back one day."

For now, though, it's all about staying fit and getting regular game time in one of Asia's best leagues. Spiranovic knows how he's performing at club level will be crucial to the opportunities he receives at international level.

"I've quickly learned it is important to be performing for your club and playing week-in, week-out," he says. "One thing leads to another in many ways."

This article appeared in the March 2011 issue of Australian FourFourTwo magazine. To buy back copies of this issue call 03-8317-8121 with a credit card to hand.