'I'm embarking on a journey that's special to me'

Despite having his aims at Crawley, Kewell would not let on what they are, preferring not to make them public.

He believes his two years in charge of Watford's under-23s was a great experience and coming to Crawley was a brilliant opportunity. He also praised all the players he has worked with at Crawley so far during pre-season. He said: "I love football, so this is my life. This is what I was born to do, this is what I feel that when growing up, I loved.

"So this what I'm embarking on now, this journey, for me, is something special. I love it. I live and breathe it. Out there is my bed, this is what I do. I love this game.

"I have my ideas of what I want the team to achieve, the club have their ideas and the team have ideas and we've all got to put our ambitions together and do the right thing for the club.

"Managing is completely different (to being a player). It's Chalk and cheese. If you feel that you can just walk into this game, you've got no chance. You have to go away, and the two years I had at Watford gave me great experience, but I felt that it was time for me to step up, and put my real challenges to the test. There's nothing better to be able to come to a club like Crawley, and be able to fulfill those dreams and, so again for me, it's completely different.

"They've all impressed me. I'm not going to lie, I'm not going to sit here and say one or two, you're not going to find an answer. They've all worked so hard in pre-season, they've all been fantastic."