Mandic told au.fourfourtwo.com that a number of clubs in pursuit of the Socceroo captain were not keen on Kewell having his own medical saviour on hand. Galatasaray on the other hand, were happy to have Gelis at Gala.

"Most importantly, Les Gelis is at the club 24/7," Mandic said today.

"He's allowed to go into the club and travels with the team and for Harry, it's not just an extra precaution. He's 29, he needs every possible advantage to make sure he's fully fit."

Gelis is regarded as the man whose work saved Kewell's career after a terrible run of groin and other injuries over the last few years.

Gelis spent much time at Liverpool and in fact was also employed by the club, so impressed were the Reds.

"Some of the other clubs - world renowned clubs - we were talking to had an issue with the physio. 'You can have the physio treat you away but if he comes in, he'll interrupt the club dynamic internally'" added Mandic.

"So Harry said nah. That was the stumbling block. Galatasaray were completely open-minded and they also have a fantastic medical facility."

German giant Bayern Munich were also in the race to sign Kewell, but the Turkish super club won out and there are no regrets from Mandic or Kewell - even if most Aussie fans struggled to understand the move.

"They've got six or seven other internationals and a fan-base of 25 million. It's like Barcelona - it's got other sporting teams and is a phenomenal outfit and yet most Australians don't realise this.

"Because people don't know the market place people jump to conclusions about Turkey," added Mandic.

Mandic described the lifestyle for Kewell as "magnificent" with the club's new players staying at a club-owned five star hotel until they move into their new house.

"He knew exactly what he was getting into," he said. "We checked the place out and he's very happy with everything. We did our homework."

Aside from Gelis, the location of Turkey and how that works in favour of the Socceroos was another crucial aspect in the decision to sign for the Turkish champions.

Mandic added: "It's the perfect place in terms of what the Australian team is doing over the next two years.

"For Harry, that's the perfect place. I can't see why he wouldn't want to stay there longer.

"That's what people forget. It's basically an hour from Bahrain and Dubai and Uzbekistan. Whereas before, he was in Manchester he had to get to London, and there are no direct flights.

"And the weather [in Turkey] in terms of acclimatisation, and the quality of the club. They have seven Turkish internationals and have just signed the captain of Portugal."

Mandic described the chaotic scenes that greeted Kewell when he arrived at Ankara airport as being "like a rock star".

"It was pretty intense," he said. "There was around 5,000 people and they were nuts and crazy, but in a good way.

"I've never seen what a rock star welcome is like but it was probably like that... it was a big crush and they were yelling 'We love you Harry Kewell'.

"It was jammed but having said that it was a whole load of fun."