Aleks Vrteski believes he has returned to Perth Glory as a much-improved goalkeeper.

The 20-year old has spent the past two years in Macedonia playing with FK Pobeda but has returned to re-sign with the Glory and hopes to use his experiences for the better.

"When I went away I got a big wake up call," he said.

"I was told over there I did have to lose some weight, get myself right and I mean going away from home, being out of your comfort zone so to speak, you kind of wake up to yourself a bit.

"You learn a lot of things personally about yourself, not just as a footballer but also as a person, so I'm never going to look at it in a negative light, there's only positives to come out of playing there.

"I worked hard, got myself right and played a good season-and-a-half. Mitch (coach Dave Mitchell) has been great to give me the opportunity to come back to Glory.

"I just hope I can repay him as well, in a way he's given me another chance to play for the club that I've grown up loving. So really excited about that."