While the Jets take May off, Van Egmond will visit a number of leading clubs in Holland and Europe to gain an edge on his A-League counterparts.

“The place to learn is Europe,” Van Egmond told www.au.fourfourtwo.com yesterday. “I want to continue to grow and keep learning as a coach.”

And in a further sign of Socceroo coach Graham Arnold’s respect for Van Egmond, Arnie will assist the Jets boss in teeing up clubs, particularly in Holland.

As for his playing stocks, Van Egmond, 41, will also use the trip to also scout new players for the Hunter franchise. “I’m looking for a striker for sure,” he says. However, he has not completely ruled out popular forward Milton Rodriguez returning to EA stadium.

“I know Milton’s family really enjoyed it here and so did he. We haven’t shut the door on him completely. He’s in the same boat as Fred, he can probably earn more in other countries. We’re not planning on him returning from Colombia though.”

One player definitely returning for version three is Paul Okon. Van Egmond is jumping out of his skin at the prospect of the former Socceroo captain leading the side again.

“I’m ecstatic. Just his appetite for the game, he’s the one the boys gravitate to. And let me tell you, he’s covering the turf better right now better then he was at this stage last year.

“Barring injury, he’ll be even better this year with a good off-season under his belt.”

However Jade North’s future in Newcastle is less certain. The Socceroo, who was a substitute for Australia against China last Saturday, is weighing up his options both here and abroad. Van Egmond did however concede it was a priority to re-sign the agile defender.

Van Egmond also confirmed that All-White Tim Brown was keen to return home to play for the new Wellington franchise “despite signing a letter of intent with us recently. But like Jade, I don’t want anyone who doesn’t want to play for us."

Asked if there was one area he’d like his side to improve on in version three, Van Egmond said it was the mental side of the Jets' game. “I want to make sure we’re a side that can always find a way to win, which perhaps wasn’t always the case last season.

“I want teams to know that they’re in for a difficult match against us, that there’s no place to hide. And I’d like the players to adapt better to changes during a match as there are times when you need to alter tactics to react to various situations.”

Since the season ended, the Jets have been ticking over with a variety of training sessions, from gym work to cross training. “The players have enjoyed it. And of course, they’re employed by us for 52 weeks of the year. We’ve kept the training light and interesting and it means they don't have such a long break.

“No where else in the world does a league have four months off. Pre-season is the most important part of the season. You don’t want to be making any rash signings and also you have to balance the salary cap with your signings,” said Van Egmond.

The Jets supremo recently inked a three-year contract at the club at an appropriate salary for a head coach, although money clearly isn’t a major motivator for him.

“A wise man once said, if you get success, money will come.”