Injuries ruined the former Australian under-17 and under-20 attacking midfielder's professional career nearly a decade ago and injury has now ended his playing days full stop.

The 29-year-old tore cartilage and bone away from his knee in pre-season training with Northern NSW first-division club Lambton Jaffas in January.

His focus now is being able to run again, let alone kick a soccer ball.

"I've just been plagued with injuries my whole life," Tanchevski said.

"It's been hard, I've been off work as well, so I'm just sitting around.

"It's disappointing, because I was looking forward to a good year with Jaffas and a lot my mates had come over. Especially after we put such a good side together, it's that little bit harder to swallow."

Tanchevski was going to be one of the major components of a new Jaffas squad aiming for promotion to the state league in 2011 and assembled by older brother and coach David.

It was expected the knee injury would sideline Tanchevski for a large part of the season but he was shocked when specialist Bruce Caldwell's post-surgery prognosis was far more damning.

"They knew I'd done some damage but after Bruce Caldwell had done the surgery he came out of theatre and said, 'Mate, it's pretty bad, you have a hole in your knee,' " Tanchevski said.

"I said to him, 'When will I be able to play?' and he said, 'I don't think you'll play again and I'd definitely advise you not to play again.' "

Tanchevski was one of Newcastle's brightest football prospects, making his National Soccer League debut when he was aged 17.

But two hamstring operations and major heart surgery for Wolff Parkinson-White syndrome cost him a chance of forging a career with Aston Villa in the English Premier League.

Tanchevski is surprisingly upbeat about his future in the sport.

He plans to concentrate on coaching and will be his brother's assistant at Lambton.

"I was heading along that track anyway and obviously this frees me up for more coaching, because I won't be playing," Tanchevski said.