The former Newcastle Jet is loving life with Elfsborg and is convinced he made the right decision to quit the Hunter side earlier this year.

Towards the end of his time in Newcastle, Covic had seemingly slipped down the international pecking order but his move to Europe appears to have caught the eye of Pim Verbeek and his staff.

"It's all been positive and going great over there in Sweden," Covic told au.fourfourtwo.com. "I can't think of one negative thing to be honest.

"Everyone knows I had a tough period towards the end of my time in the A-League and there was a period where I was really starting to lose my enjoyment in football. To do what I did was a real boost.

"It has been a kind of a spark (the move). I really lost that spark at Newcastle. It almost came to a point where I was frustrated coming into training."

Covic said a new environment and a new challenge had made a world of difference and he was all the better for it.

"To come to a club in Sweden with high ambitions to be successful each and every year, to play in Europe, it really gave me a lift," he said. "For the first time in a long time I'd wake up every morning and really look forward to going to training.

"Tony Franken (Socceroos goalkeeping coach) has been out, Henk Duut came to watch a couple of games and we're playing in Europe against the likes of Lazio. That's going to sit positively in the eyes of the coaches.  On top of that my performances have been really, really positive this year.

"That's the reason I'm back here with the Socceroos. I've been working really hard and they've seen fit  to call me back in.

 "It's definitely  given me that passion and hunger to be back. Getting the call back to the Socceroos just confirms everything I thought that it was definitely the right move for me."

Getting back in the squad is one thing but trying to oust Mark Schwarzer is something else. Covic accepts that is a tall order but his mindset must be that he has to be ready should the call come.

Covic added: "Realistically for the World Cup it is that second and third spot that the rest of us are fighting for. That's credit to Schwarzy. He's been in sensational form.  No-one can deny him that.

"He's passionate about it, he works hard and he's been playing fantastic.  Hopefully I'm on the trip to South Africa.  Anything can happen between now and then.

"For me now,  I just have to keep playing week in week out, keep my level up and hope to stay injury free.  It is up to the coaching staff to decide who is the best choice for them. "