Andrea Orlandi is crossing his fingers for a change of luck after finally putting his fitness problems behind him.
Midfielder has been unfortunate with injuries at Swansea
Andrea Orlandi is crossing his fingers for a change of luck after finally putting his fitness problems behind him.
The injury-jinxed 27-year-old has suffered a succession of set-backs since his move to Swansea City from Barcelona five years ago.
A hamstring problem limited the midfielder to just three league appearances last season, taking his total to 72 since joining the South Wales side.
Now back to full fitness, Orlandi has been able to join the rest of the squad on their pre-season tour of America.
And with new manager Michael Laudrup to impress, the Spaniard is hoping a change of fortune has come with the change of boss.
"I deserve a bit of luck this season," Orlandi told the
South Wales Evening Post. "I am doing everything possible to get myself fit. I trained for the first two weeks and had no problems at all.
"I have been working hard to avoid injuries and I hope that continues. If I can have an injury-free season then I can give my best to the club.
"I showed glimpses of what I can do in the Premier League last season. The competition will be harder in midfield, but I'm looking forward to it and ready for the challenge."
Star
Laudrup was brought in to the club when Brendan Rodgers left Swansea to join Liverpool this summer and Orlandi admits he is relishing the chance to finally get to learn a few new tricks from one of his boyhood idols.
"Michael is a star in Spain ," added Orlandi. "He was a star as a player and did really well as a manager. Hopefully he can be a success at Swansea as well.
"He wasn't at Barcelona when I was there. But he was amazing as a player.
"His through balls were unbelievable and even when he trains with us you can see his touch hasn't changed.
"He's probably better than us at the moment! He's been a top player and hopefully he can be a top manager as well."
