Newcastle Jets coach Gary van Egmond has cooled any criticism of Ljubo Milicevic, saying there is no rift between him and the club.

Milicevic seemed to have walked out on the club last week after an argument with van Egmond but discussions have saved his short-term future at the club as he returned to prepare for the upcoming Asian Champions League clash against Nagoya Grampus.

"His attitude has been excellent this morning and he is looking forward to going over to Japan and us getting a result," said van Egmond.

"He's very important for us and all the players know that and his organisational skills as a central defender is a huge bonus for the team to have.

"He is crucial and the players know that and to my way of thinking the whole incident was a storm in a tea cup which was trivialised through the media.

"So for me and the team including Ljubo all we are looking forward to is being our most cohesive and fluent over in Nagoya and getting a result."