From the moment the Olympic torch landed on these shores the countdown to the games had begun, yet for Joe Allen, they started on Saturday when he undertook his first training session with the Great Britain football squad under the tutelage of Stuart Pearce.

The quiet, unassuming dentist's son from Narberth has packed a lot into his 22 years and being picked as one of the cuntry's finest young footballers (alongside a trio of more experienced stars) must surely rank as being one of the proudest moments of his career.

Having once been described by former Swansea City legend Leighton James as 'the best 17-year-old I've seen since Ryan Giggs', Allen has had a lot to live up to, but as each season passes, his star continues to rise and the Olympics will be the icing on the cake so far.

"It's a brilliant feeling to be a part of the squad and a massive privilege," said Allen. The whole year has been good to me; getting promoted to the Premiership with the Swans, being a regular in the Welsh team and now this, I'm really proud to be a part of it."

Allen, the second player from Pembrokeshire to be selected for the Olympic football squad after Frank Donovan in 1948, will be among familiar faces as Swansea provides no fewer than three players to the talented group. Teammates Scott Sinclair and Neil Taylor are also selected, as is Steve Caulker who played on loan at the Liberty last season.

"It's a great honour for the Swans," added Allen. "We've been on a good run the past few seasons and it shows how we have developed as a squad and how we have moved forward.

"We had a lot of success last season when many tipped us to go down. We know we can compete at this level, but we have to work harder to make sure we stay there. The second season is often the hardest, but we're all looking forward to it and we hope to go one better."

Pre-season training has already begun for the Liberty Stadium outfit, but Allen has had to put that on the backburner for now as the first game for the Great Britain team against Senegal on July 26 is just days away.

Captained by boyhood idol Ryan Giggs, Allen is really looking forward to training and playing alongside him and says he'll only get better as a result.

"I think I was one-year-old when he (Giggs) made his debut for Manchester United, so I'm only going to benefit from the experience. Being compared to him is flattering, but he's several levels above me and most probably above anything I will ever get to. He's done it all on the football field, so I'm only going to learn from that."

And what of working with a manager nicknamed Psycho? How is he looking forward to working with someone with such a different style from his own? Pearce was renowned as a hard, uncompromising footballer, whereas Allen is a creative, attacking player, more like a Welsh speaking version of Zinedine Zidane, the former French international, who enthralled crowds wherever he played.

"A couple of the lads have already worked with him at age group level and speak really highly of him and say he's a top man. Hopefully I'll do enough to impress him and work my way into the team.

"It's going to be hard, but I'm only going to benefit from it. The squad is full of talent and it will be tough to get selected, but I honestly don't think I can lose going on this trip, it's going to be an incredible experience."