The striker had powered Central Coast Mariners to the top of the A-League ladder before getting his big move to Chunnam Dragons.

But he then fell off the radar after an abductor tendon injury severely disrupted his first season abroad.

After five frustrating months out, Simon's club finally let him return to his home on the Central Coast for surgery last week.

Simon started his rehab on Monday after a successful operation and he hopes it could be as little as three weeks before he can get back on the pitch and start making up for lost time.

“It's a quick turnaround, hopefully within three-to-four weeks I'll be playing,” he told au.fourfourtwo.com.

“It will take me a little while to get my fitness back. Hopefully I can get back over there and put in good performances before the end of the season.”

Mariners coach Graham Arnold and Central Coast badly missed their talismanic attacker and nearly saw their Premiership lead eaten away without him when he left mid-season.

The Mariners' loss should have been Chunnam's gain but despite promising beginnings, his overseas career suffered a false start.

“I got over there and went straight into a pre-season with the team which was tough but I enjoyed it," he said.

“I scored a few goals in the pre-season. In the first game of the season we had a 0-0 draw but I played well, the club was happy with me.

“I picked up my injury in that first game so I've struggled with it for a long time. The club was really good towards me. They did everything they could to sort it out but in the end they were good enough to let me come and get the surgery done.

“They're a little bit frustrated. The foreigners are really important to each K-League team.

“But they're sticking by me, they told me they're happy with what I've done and even when I was injured, they were happy with what I was doing.”

Simon said that the injury aside, he has been loving his international journey, both in his brief time on the pitch and the experience off it, where fellow Aussie Dragon Robbie Cornthwaite has helped him settle in.

“I find it a step up over there," he said. "It's a very quick speed that they play over there and the players are very strong.

"You have to be very fit to play over there because they do not stop running all day long.”

He has another two years left at Chunnam after this year but thanks to their massive 46-game season, there is still plenty of time to make an impact on his return this campaign.

He added: “Coming from half a season here to a 46-game season over there would have been a miracle for any player to play that many games. That's how it is and they seem to know how to deal with it.

“I really enjoy it over there making that next step. Now I'm looking forward to getting back over there 100% fit and making my mark on the K-League.”