Adrian Leijer is happy to be back in the colours of Melbourne Victory despite a stint in the English Premier League not quite working out.

The 23-year old centre-back re-signed with the Victory last week after two years with Fulham (and Norwich City on loan) and was a key factor in the reigning A-League champions first win of the season over North Queensland Fury on Saturday.

''I'm excited. I said I was very keen to get here straight away and give myself every opportunity to play," he said.

"It was a last-minute decision to play and I am glad I did. I would have been lucky to have had three or four hours' sleep, but it just proves, if you put your mind to something you can do it. I suppose it's proved I can be mentally strong if I want to be,'' he said.

Leijer admitted he could have gone elsewhere but decided to stay loyal to the Victory because he can see a fruitful future for the club.

''I had offers from other clubs, but Melbourne is a great club, it's got great people, and I wanted to be loyal to the club. It's a very exciting place to be in the future," he added.