Bayer Leverkusen's Australian midfielder is keen to make up for lost time in next month's Asian Cup.
The 26-year-old tore his anterior cruciate ligament in January and was forced to look from the sidelines as his nation came bottom of their group in Brazil.
The disappointment of missing out on football's greatest event was bitter, although Kruse has put in the hard yards to be fit for this competition on home soil. This turned out to be his motivation for a speedy return:
"My rehab went for about seven or eight months... this tournament I was working towards the whole time.
"I was at rehab for seven, eight hours a day and I've never had to work that long in my life.
"I can't right the wrong of not being able to go to the World Cup. You go through so many emotions when you miss out on a big tournament like a World Cup and I'm thankful that this has come around just six months later.
"Hopefully this Asian Cup I can really stamp my authority on the competition."
Kruse now realises just how good he had things before the injury and isn't taking anything for granted, but he is happy to be back on the pitch once more.
"Learning how to walk and contract your muscles again, it's quite taxing. You miss out on so many things and you start to appreciate how good of a life you have as a footballer," he said on Tuesday.
"Sometimes I used to get annoyed at having to train all the time but now I'm just happy to be able to run on the field."
Quotes and credit to Yahoo.