Bodde lasted just eight minutes of his first start since injury
Swansea City midfielder Ferrie Bodde could play again this season after being told he does not need an operation on his injured knee.
The £5m-rated Dutchman only returned this season from 10 months out with cruciate ligament damage but appeared to suffer a recurrence in September.
Initial scans showed a tear but a second opinion in Holland a few weeks later delivered better news.
"It was an unbelievable feeling because I had been really down," said Bodde.
"The thought of being out for another year had made me really low.
"The support I received from the fans lifted me a bit, along with the positive reaction of the chairman [Huw Jenkins] and the manager [Paulo Sousa].
"It was nice that people are thinking about you and the supporters believed in me, but my head was still all over the place."
Bodde was the subject of two failed £4.5m bids from Wigan and a lower bid from Bolton in the summer despite still being out at the time from his original injury suffered in November last year.
He returned to action this season, but two weeks after making his comeback in a reserve match, he pulled up eight minutes into his first league start in the 2-1 win over Sheffield United.
Now, after being told he no longer needs an operation, Bodde has started his rehabilitation as he aims to return to help Swansea in their Championship play-off push.
The 27-year-old's progress is being monitored by Dutch physiotherapist Corne van Geest and fitness and rehabilitation coach Rob Meppelink, a former technical director at Bodde's old club ADO Den Haag.
"I've been training six days a week, from 9am until 3pm, with only a 30 minute break in between - sometimes not even that,'' Bodde told Swansea's official website on a brief return to Wales where he watched Tuesday's 1-0 win over Plymouth.
"I've improved my stability and the movement in my knee playing football in the sand. I've even done some passing drills.
"Every time I've gone back to the surgeon he has said my knee is improving.''
But Swans chairman Huw Jenkins is refusing to get carried away with the news.
"It's positive news, but we are all still very cautious,'' he said.
"That's why we didn't want to announce that he hadn't had the operation.
"We will continue to monitor Ferrie's progress very closely because he's still got a long way to go.''
Meanwhile, striker Guillem Bauza made his return from a knee injury that has kept him out since August.
The 25-year-old Spaniard played a full 90 minutes and scored twice in the 3-1 reserve team win at Hereford United.
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