It would have been the perfect homecoming for Andrea Orlandi. Having swapped the blue and maroon stripes of Barcelona for the black and white of Swansea City in the summer, not even the most optimistic of Swans fans would have expected the club to be rubbing shoulders with some of the best players on the World stage.

But instead of joining his Swans colleagues on a four-day training camp to Barcelona this week, Orlandi opted to stay behind in rainy South West Wales to continue a rehabilitation process that should see him return from a knee injury in time to play a part in the final promotion push.

Manager Roberto Martinez made Orlandi his third Spanish signing of the season when he captured the 23-year-old left-footer from Barcelona B where he was in the third year of a loan spell from Alaves.

Having made 66 appearances for Barcalona 'B' in that time, he also made three appearances for the first team, including a La Liga debut as a left-back against Athletic Bilbao.

Two more cup appearances helped Barcelona lift the Catalunya Cup and, such was Orlandi's popularity at the Nou Camp, that when he left for a new life in sunny Swansea, Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto'o personally presented him with signed Barcelona shirts after his final training session.

So it would have been an emotional homecoming for Orlandi to arrive back at the Nou Camp with the Swans squad last Sunday. But it was an emotional moment Orlandi turned down for the good of Swansea City.

"Although I am still inured, the Gaffer (Roberto) asked me if I wanted to go with the squad to Spain,'' explained Orlandi.

"I did think long and hard about it, but I decided it was more important for me to stay behind and work on my injury.

"I want to get myself right by the end of the month so I can push myself forward for a place in the side during April.

"I really want to be involved in the promotion push. I was involved with Alaves as a 19-year-old when they clinched promotion to La Liga, the top division in Spain. It was a fantastic feeling and something I'd love top experience with Swansea.

"It would have been nice to catch up with some of my old team-mates at Barcelona, but I have to put Swansea first.

"I keep in touch with two of the young lads I played up front with at Barcelona B - Giovani dos Santos and Bojan Krkic.

"Giovani is an 18-year-old Mexican international, while Bojan was in the full Spanish squad against France recently, despite only being 16. Trust me, he is going to be something special.

"We played up-front together for Barcelona B in a 4-3-3 formation. The pair of them are now in the Barcelona first team.''

But Orlandi has no regrets about walking away from Barcelona, even though his striking partners have now made the grade at first team level - his own early dream.

"They were a lot younger than me at the time. I was one of the oldest in the side at 23,'' explained Orlandi. "Time had probably run out for me on that front.''

It's been a mixed first campaign for Orlandi since his arrival. While fellow Spaniard Angel Rangel made an immediate impact by going straight into the side at right-back, Orlandi also had to watch striker Guillem Bauza edge his way into the first team frame before him.

Then, when his chance eventually came and he started to find himself a regular part of the 16, he got mugged by Brett Poate of Havant & Waterlooville before one tackle too many against Brighton in the JPT on January 8forced him onto the operating table with a knee injury.

Still no regrets though.

"I don't think I was fit enough or strong enough for British football when I first arrived,'' he admits.

"I had problems adapting to the game over here. It's totally different to Spanish football where you get a lot more time on the ball and there's no physical stuff.

"British football is also box-to-box and heavier on the legs. And in the last two seasons with Barcelona B I was with a team that liked to play football very slowly.

"Every footballer wants to play, but I've always been happy here from the first day I arrived. The team has been doing well and I knew I had to be patient and wait for my chance.

"I used the time to build myself up, especially my upper body. Then when I got my chance and started to get used to the game over here, I picked up the injury.

#"So it's back to building myself up again, with plenty of swimming work in the pool. The physios at the club (Richie Evans and Ailsa Jones) have worked hard with me from day one. Even now they ring me every day after treatment to see how the knee is responding.

"I'd like to thank them for that because I know they are right behind me, which is important.

"The supporters have also been fantastic. They always stop me in the street and ask me how my injury is coming along, which is nice.

"I found all the attention strange when I first came to Swansea. I was very shy at first because it wasn't something I was used to. I enjoy it now though. It makes you feel like a Premiership player!

"Hopefully I can repay everyone on the pitch. I've got another year on my contract and I know I will do a lot better once I'm back.''

And as Orlandi takes time out from the pressures of first team action, he's had time to reflect on how close he came to actually plying his trade in Greece rather than Wales.

In fact, it was only a call from his friend and former Holland, Ajax, Barcelona and Man United winger Jordi Cruyff that stopped Orlandi taking up the offer to join Greek first division side Aris Salonika.

Cruyff, the son of Dutch legend Johan, is also a close friend of the Swansea manager.

"Jordi phoned me in the summer,'' explained Orlandi. "He said there may be a team in Wales interested in me so expect a call.

"Then Roberto rang me for a chat and said he wanted to sign me. But it was getting close to the transfer deadline.

"I was hanging on and hanging on. Aris Salonika had even paid and booked me on a 6am flight to Greece on deadline day.

"I spoke to Roberto again on deadline day, August 31, and he said he was signing me. I was waiting by the fax machine in a friends shop in Spain . . . and waiting. Eventually Roberto's call came and I signed at 11pm - one hour before the deadline. To say I was relieved would be an understatement.

"I was still nervous about coming. I didn't know anything or anyone. I couldn't even call Bussy or Angel because I didn't know them at the time.

"But sometimes you have to take risks. Thankfully it was the right decision.''

Orlandi does admit though that most of his friends and team-mates in Spain thought he was "mad'' to drop down to League One in Britain.

"League One in Spain is not a great standard and you certainly don't get big crowds watching you. They thought it was the same in Britain,'' he added.

How wrong they were.

"A Spanish television crew came over to film our game against Leeds United and do a feature on the Three Amigos, Roberto and goalkeeping coach Inaki (Bergara),'' added Orlandi.

"They did a full feature back home in Spain and they couldn't believe the atmosphere, the size of the crowd, the stadium and the quality of the football and players on display.

"Since then it's been crazy. My phone hasn't stopped ringing with journalists wanting to do interviews and players asking if I could arrange for them to come over and play for Swansea. And these are not just ordinary players, some of them are quality.

"It helped to raise the profile of Swansea throughout Spain, especially Barcelona. A year ago they didn't know anything about Swansea, now those who know their football are starting to take notice.

"If we get promoted to the Championship, then our profile will increase even more.

"Obviously the Gaffer (Roberto) and the success he's brought to the club has helped. He has a good reputation in Spain and I'm convinced he is a future Premiership manager - hopefully with Swansea.''

In the meantime, Orlandi will concentrate on getting himself fit again, while enjoying the cultural change that the best of Wales brings.

The latest experience came a fortnight ago when Orlandi and his fellow Amigos - Angel and Bussy - took a trip to Cardiff to sample the experience of a Welsh rugby international when Wales took on Italy at the Millennium Stadium.

"It was a fantastic experience; very emotive. It's the first rugby game I've seen and there was a great atmosphere there.

"I didn't realise how big the Millennium Stadium was. From the outside it looks quite small, but once inside it opens out into a fantastic arena.

"Although my parents are Italian, they moved to Spain before I was born, so I was definitely supporting Wales. I did reconsider mind when some fans got so excited when James Hook came on that I had three pints of beer spilt down my back. Now that was a tense moment!

"My Italian roots are also to blame for my girl's name,'' he joked. "Andrea in Italy is a boy's name. In Spain, like here, it's a girl's name, so you can imagine how much stick I got at school!''

The only stick Orlandi will be giving back when he finally returns to Spain for a pre-season break with promotion in the bag though, is to those who called him "mad'' for signing for the Swans.

INTERVIEW: Jonathan Wilsher