The late, great, George Best once graced the Vetch Field to make his international debut for Northern Ireland.

Now, 45 years on, his name is set to grace the Liberty Stadium pitch courtesy of Swansea City's new loan recruit, David Cotterill!

Well David Rhys George Best Cotterill to be exact.

"My father, David, was a huge Man United fan,'' explains Cotterill with a grin. "He managed to throw George Best into my middle name. It's on my birth certificate and everything.''

Cotterill, who has initially signed a loan deal until January 4 from Sheffield United - although a permanent deal is expected to be completed in the New Year - has had a bit of stick from his teammates over the years.

"They used to call me Besty at Wigan,'' he joked, "but thankfully it's been Cotts at Sheffield and here at Swansea. And I'd prefer it to stay that way.''

So did the 22-year-old actually meet the Manchester United legend before he passed away in 2005?

"Actually, I did,'' he recalled. "When I was 11, my mother gave me the day off school and I went to meet him at a book signing in Cardiff and he autographed my birth certificate.

"I think he was a bit surprised and showed his wife, Alex. She said, 'oh no, not another George Best'.

"I also had a few strange looks when I got married to my wife Sasha and the registrar read out my full name. We had an agreement though that she would only read it out in full the once,'' laughed Cotterill, who also has a two-year-old son Kingston.

Cotterill takes all the wind ups in good humour though as he settles into life at the Liberty.

"I'm enjoying it. I knew four or five of the boys anyway from my time with Wales and Sheffield, so it has made it easier to settle in.

"They are a nice bunch of lads, very down to earth. They stick by each other, which I think is one of the reasons they've been doing so well.

"It's also nice to play and train in a side that passes the ball. There are certainly a lot more passing drills in training.''

Having watched from the stands as the Swans turned in an impressive display to beat Derby County 1-0 at the Liberty, Cotterill had no sooner put pen to paper on the move he found himself boarding a plane bound for Newcastle's St James's Park

"I wasn't expecting to come on and play the final 40 minutes,'' he added. "Although we lost 3-0, I didn't think we did that much wrong. But the first 28 minutes killed the game off.

"I played at St James's Park for Wigan a few years back, so I knew what to expect. I'm sure we will do better when we have them back at our place.''

Cotterill certainly intends to be still around when the Toon come calling in February.

"I need to settle down at one club now. I've just turned 22 (last Friday) and Swansea is my fourth club.

"I need to get my career back on track and that's why I've joined Swansea. I don't expect to walk straight into the team because they've been on a great run and it would be unfair to drop anyone. I've got to bide my time and take my chance when it comes."

Cotterill signed for Sheffield United in the summer of 2008 for an undisclosed fee from Wigan.

The signing was a popular one after he had made an earlier impression on Blades fans during a loan spell.

He made a telling contribution to the Blades' path to the play-offs in the last campaign, taking on penalty duties after the sale of James Beattie.

As he explained: "I had a good run at the back end of last season when I played 15 or 16 games. I produced some of the best football of my career and we got to the play-off final.

"This season was different. I was starting once in a blue moon (he only made three starts) and it's difficult to find any form when you're in that situation.''

Cardiff-born, he made his full international debut for Wales in October 2005, aged 17, having also represented his country at U19s and U21s level.

He shot to prominence at his first club, Bristol City, making over 50 appearances in his teenage years before completing a £2m to Wigan.

But lack of first team games at Sheffield prompted the flyer to return home to Wales.

"I need to be playing,'' added Cotterill, "especially at this stage of my career. I obviously wasn't doing much of that at Sheffield.

"I've also got my place in the international team to consider as well and it's a very important time.

"I realise I need to get more consistency into my game and hopefully I can do that by playing more.

"I've played against Swansea a few times and watched them against Derby. They play great football.

"A few clubs were interested in me, but I've made the right decision."

His new manager certainly seems to think so.

"The fact that David is young, Welsh, and already a senior international is a bonus,'' explained Paulo Sousa.

"It means we have another Welshman within our ranks with the characteristics we are looking for.

"He has the attributes I expect from a player in his position. He brings quality and different characteristics to the squad that will help us improve.''

And if he lives up to his middle name, Swansea will have bagged themselves another bargain.