FERNANDO Hierro has told Sam Allardyce he is ready for Premiership action and raring to turn his dream of making an impact in England into a reality.

The legendary former Real Madrid captain and multi-capped Spanish international, has assured the Wanderers boss that a year in the oil-rich Middle East State of Qatar, where many former world class footballers go for one last pay day, has not affected his fitness or his appetite for success.

"Quite the opposite," Hierro said. "I fact I've taken nothing but positives from my season in Qatar.

"The league might have only 10 teams but there are three different competitions, which mean you have 30 to 35 games in the season. We played regularly and the standard was excellent. The influx of foreign coaches, including many from Brazil and Europe -- ours was from Denmark -- meant it was an extremely high quality.

"It did not take the edge off my game at all. In fact, getting away from the pressures of football in Spain made me more relaxed about the game and left me physically fresher than I have been for some time."

Hierro, who is 36 and still regarded as one of the legends of European football, might have joined Wanderers a year ago.

Instead, he followed a host of former top internationals to promote the developing league in Qatar.

"I was aware of Bolton's interest," he said, "but I had a few issues to sort out at Real Madrid.

"If I had decided to come to Bolton, everything would have been rushed. But, knowing Bolton wanted me a year ago and were still interested was a decisive factor in helping me decide to come here this time.

"Ever since I played for Spain in Euro 96, it has been my dream to play in the English Premiership and I know already that I have made the right decision in coming to Bolton."

Hierro said that after 14 years as a key figure at the Bernebeu, he feels "uncomfortable" having to settle for a place on the bench.

"The only thing I'm concentrating on is putting everything into training, working as hard as I can and trying to make it difficult for the manager to leave me out," he added.

"I'm not going to be knocking on the manager's door asking why I'm not in the side.

"However long I'm here -- a year or two years, I can't say -- but I want people to acknowledge that I have been a good professional."

Hierro admires Allardyce for combining the roles of a number of top officials at continental clubs.

"In Spain the manager runs the team, then there are other people responsible for signings and the running of the club off the field," he added. "I don't know how Sam does everything.

"If there is no tea in the dressing room, he sorts it out. He seems to have incredible mental strength to be in charge of everything, on and off the field."

On Saturday's trip to Arsenal, he said: "We need to concentrate on our own qualities, our own virtues and our own strengths rather than on Arsenal's."