Burns, Burns Burns at the Ring of Fire

ERNIE MERRICK had been trying to sign Nathan Burns for four years before finally getting his signature so he isn’t remotely surprised by his record-breaking goalscoring feats.

The Wellington Phoenix striker leads the A-League golden boot race with 10 goals from 11 games, his brace against Sydney FC on Sunday making him the fastest player to reach double figures in the 10-year history of the league.

It is astonishing stuff and even more so when you consider his goalscoring history.

Burns scored nine goals in 35 appearances for Adelaide United (2006-08), two in 25 for AEK Athens (2008-12), eight in 31 on loan for Kerkyra (2009-10), none in three for Incheon United (2012-13) and two in 12 for Newcastle Jets (2013-14).

Admittedly, many of those games were playing as a midfielder or winger but even so it wasn’t a track record that screamed out ‘‘elite marksman’’.

Merrick had unsuccessfully tried to sign the now 26-year-old in his first season at the Phoenix and before that at Melbourne Victory.

The coach finally got his man in June and his comments on Burns have proved prophetic.

‘‘Robbie Kruse [Socceroos star] was a similar type player,’’ Merrick said at the time. ‘‘He was playing as a winger and when I got hold of him at Victory, I turned him into a goalscorer. It was pretty easy to do, he had all the skills and he’s in the Bundesliga now.’’

Like Kruse, Burns and Roy Krishna have had success making lightning quick, diagonal runs in behind defences to latch on to passes from the likes of Michael McGlinchey and Roly Bonevacia.

Speaking ahead of tomorrow’s home game against Western Sydney Wanderers, Merrick did his best yesterday to deflect credit for Burns’ Socceroos recall.

‘‘[Assistant coach] Chris Greenacre has done a great job with him as well so it’s all of us and it’s the service he’s getting from our midfielders,’’ Merrick said.

‘‘It’s not about me, it’s about all the coaches we have here and it’s about the players working hard and providing him. We just changed his runs a little bit, it’s not that hard to do.’’

Burns’ first goal against Sydney in particular would not be out of place on an English Premier League highlights show. If he can keep it up he’ll be heading back to Europe so Phoenix fans should enjoy him while they can.

‘‘That’s the boy that I remember as a 17, 18-year-old, that was playing in the Australian under17s and under-20s,’’ Merrick said of a player once tagged as the next Harry Kewell.

‘‘He was just capable of anything, a very exciting player who could either create for himself or be on the end of someone else setting him up. So he’s a very good all-round player and he’s loving his football.

‘‘That’s the trick isn’t it, if you’re really enjoying what you’re doing.

‘‘And he is ... Nathan has proved himself as the best goalscorer in the A-League at the moment.’’

In one of the great anomalies, the Wanderers are champions of Asia yet after nine games remain in pursuit of their first A-League win (three draws, six losses).

But after a gruelling travel schedule they are now well rested following the Club World Cup in Morocco, where they lost both their games and were outshone by semi-professional Auckland City.

Now fully focused on the league, Merrick considered Tony Popovic’s side a most dangerous opponent.

The Phoenix are likely to field an unchanged XI, though a fitagain Vince Lia will probably earn a place on the bench.