Speaking at Sydney airport before leaving with the Australian U23s for a pre-Olympics tournament in Malaysia, Milligan said he was relieved the issue of his ban for missing a training camp had been resolved.

“It's a long story and I'm just glad it's been sorted out between us and that's all that's important. You can't go back and change things so I'm just glad it's sorted out.

“Obviously it's a difficult balancing act,” he said of the club versus country wrangle.

“The country's very important to me, that's always been the case. The Olympics have been on my agenda for a long time and it's very important to be involved and playing well when the Games come around.”

Quizzed on his priorities, Milligan added: “Right now, in the lead up, definitely the country. It's my number one goal.”

The 22-year-old Olyroo skipper's five match ban for missing last week's training camp, reduced to a two-game sanction, had been dealt with in house.

“We chatted about things and we got things off our chest and that was the final decision so I have to work hard in Malaysia.

“I apologised to the boys and spoke to a lot of the guys in the lead up to the camp. All the boys, we're all good mates and they're a good bunch of guys and understanding.”

Milligan said he was still talking with a few clubs and stated his preference for a deal would be with a club in the UK or Spain. “But at the moment, I just want to focus on playing well in this tournament."

Olyroo coach Graham Arnold slipped past the waiting media and was unavailable for comment on his returning skipper.