MATT Millar hopes to depart Perth on Thursday, despite a developing COVID-19 outbreak, and hasn't ruled out playing off the bench in the Jets' clash against Melbourne City at McDonald Jones Stadium on Sunday.
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What's more, Millar intends to bring a winning mentality with him.
Millar is in the final stages of a 14-day quarantine period in a Perth hotel after arriving back from England, where he spent four months at League One club Shrewsbury Town.
"I am out of quarantine on Wednesday night and am booked to fly out Thursday," Millar said from his hotel room where he has been doing energy-sapping sessions on an exercise bike to stay fit. "I have looked at the updates today and at this stage it doesn't look like I will have a problem getting back. My partner is sick of me being away. Hopefully nothing gets in the way of me coming back and getting straight into training.
"I haven't seen the sun in about four months so the first thing I will do is go to the beach.
"If all goes well, hopefully I will have a good couple of training sessions on Friday and Saturday. It will depend how the body feels. I don't want to pick up a little niggling injury. If Deansy thinks there is an opportunity to be on the bench, then I'm optimistic for the City game or maybe Western United.
"To be honest, I am just happy to get back to training."
The last of Millar's 13 league appearances for Shewsbury was a 1-0 win over Doncaster on December 23.
When he arrived, Shrewsbury were second bottom and seemingly relegation bound. But under new manager Steve Cotterill, they have moved up the table to sit 17th, six points above the drop zone, with two games in hand on most teams.
"A big thing I realised over there is that, with the threat of relegation, teams are so focused on winning," Millar said. "I think it is, maybe, lost a little bit in Australian football.
"It drives the way people train, it drives the way they go into games . They want to win every key moment because it is so important.
"At the end of the day it effects their livelihood if they drop down into the next league.
"It was something I realised early on. We were struggling to get points, were in the bottom four and in danger of relegation. Each game, each training and each action was really emphasised. You had to have that culture of winning.
"That is something I have learnt and can maybe bring back to Newcastle. Winning is a habit. When you are wining momentum is massive."
Millar, 24, contracted COVID-19 in the final days of his loan deal. Since his diagnosis - and recovery - more than 20 teammates plus manager Steve Cotterill, who spent time in intensive care, have been infected.
"I have been chatting to a few players," Maillar said. "Steve was in a pretty bad way early. He has gotten through the worst part which is good. It is starting to settle down."
Millar, despite the on-going COVID-19 situation, is keen to return to England at the end of his Jets contract in June.
"I have been over in England and shown that I can settle in well to the way football that is played over there,"he said. "This is a massive opportunity for me to come back here, play well and see what doors open up."
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