Zahra left Melbourne Heart with a year left to run on his deal having spent most of 2011 rehabilitating his right knee following surgery to repair two ligaments damaged by Muscat's horror challenge in last January's Melbourne derby.

The 21-year-old worked his way back to feature in the National Youth League under new Heart head coach John Aloisi but the opportunity to continue his comeback in a fresh environment tempted Zahra to Glory, where he is setting his sights on a return to first team football this season.

“It's just time for everyone else to put it behind them as much as I have,” Zahra told au.fourfourtwo.com. “In Melbourne every second person who stopped you was asking how your knee is and if Musky had apologised, whereas I had put it behind me and didn't want to think about it any more.

“So it was probably best to just get away from it. I've got a fresh start and a chance to prove to everyone I'm still the player I was beforehand.”

Zahra is now fit and firing and he is pushing Travis Dodd for first crack at Ian Ferguson's right wing berth, having shared minutes with the team-mate he calls “a great player and a good mentor” in Glory's recent three-game tour of South Africa.

But having regained physical fitness, he admits he still has a little bit of work to do mentally to feel his best.

“My body is 100 per cent, my knee is fine, I've got my pace back, the only thing is I'm still just building my confidence and getting used to being back out there playing regular minutes,” he said

“I've been injury-free this pre-season which is a good thing because I missed pre-season last year and I was always chasing the pack.”

As a young, quick, diminutive attacker, Zahra helps balance out the experienced squad that took Perth to the verge of Grand Final success last season.

It has been no secret Ferguson has sought to bring down the average age and raise the top speed of his unit, and Zahra said he is adjusting well to his new role despite the contrast in systems between Heart and Glory.

“They were looking to inject a bit of youth and pace down the wings and that's something that suited my style of play," he said.

“Coming out of a Dutch system for two years it's definitely a different style of play and something I'm getting used to.

“It's something I enjoy because I get to see the ball a bit more, come inside, and pick my moments to attack."