Dorus Eyes International Caps

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Dorus De Vries enters a new chapter in his career at Swansea this season with one eye on potentially international caps for his native Holland.

De Vries joined the club after a season at Dunfermlime where he experienced relegation and a Cup Final defeat to boot before being released at the end of the season. He attracted much praise during his time in Scotland and Swansea beat off the signatures of Premier Division clubs there as well as Championship clubs here to secure his services.

De Vries said "I always dreamt as a little boy that I could play for the National team. I used to play for the Dutch Under-21s and my team mates like Chelsea's Arjen Robben and Dirk Kuyt of Liverpool have progressed to the National team.

"If I can progress with the club to a higher level it will make me a better keeper. There are a lot of keepers in Holland who moved up to play for the National team when they were 32."

He was also full of praise for the club in last night's Evening Post and looking forward to the challenge that he now faces "In Holland you never hear of League One - it is the third division, But the contact that I had with the gaffer Roberto Martinez showed me that the club really wanted me. "I could see how professional the club are and to be honest that did surprise me." The Dutch keeper has found settling in Wales quite easy and he found a familiar face on the training ground. "It is nice to have Ferrie around, "Last year in Scotland there were no Dutch players so I nearly forgot how to speak Dutch. "This is Ferrie's first time abroad so I'm helping him out with a few things. "Ferrie is a great player and we will be both doing the best we can for Swansea. "This is a squad that has Championship quality. "Willy (Gueret) is an experienced goalkeeper and I'm confident in my abilities," de Vries added. "I'm looking forward to being the new No. 1 at Swansea."