JAY-JAY Okocha may not have things all his own way on the set-piece front next season, if Fernando Hierro lives up to his reputation as one of the best free-kick specialists in world football.

As well as being a towering figure in both penalty boxes, the legendary Spaniard packs a powerful strike, which makes him lethal from up to 35 yards.

And, while he might not be as sprightly as he was in his all-conquering heyday with Real Madrid, he has never lost the hunger for goals that took him past the likes of Alberto Di Stefano and Emilio Butragueno to the top of Spain's all-time scoring list.

His mark of 28 in 89 internationals has since been overtaken by the prolific Raul, a former team-mate at Real, but he still prides himself on being a feared attacker as well as a formidable defender -- one of the greatest defenders in the world, as it happens.

It is that combination of qualities that has led Sam Allardyce to suggest that Hierro may operate in midfield rather than at the back for Wanderers, pointing out that it was as a midfield player that he made his name in the first place before he was converted into a commanding centre-back in his latter years at the Bernabeu.

Whether he still has the pace, or the inclination, to mix it in midfield remains to be seen. But, if he can recapture a fraction of the form that made him a three-time European Champions League winner and took him to four World Cups, he will be a huge influence at the Reebok.

Since he made his international debut in 1989, Hierro has become one of the most respected players in the world.

Fernando Ruiz Hierro -- to give him his full name -- spent 14 glorious years at Real, winning a host of domestic honours and helping the Galacticos regain their place at the pinnacle of European football. Their success in Glasgow two years ago was the third time in five years they had triumphed in the Champions League.

He was also an influential figure on the international front but suffered down the years from Spain's reputation as the great under-achievers.

At 22, he featured in the 1990 World Cup in Italy as a non-playing substitute but soon established himself as a fixture in the side -- ever present in the 1994 finals in the USA and in France in 1998 before captaining Spain at the 2002 finals in Japan and Korea.

He announced his retirement after that tournament to concentrate on his club career but last summer, having captained Real to their 29th Spanish title, coach Vincente del Bosque told him he was too old for La Liga.

When he followed former international stars Gabriel Batistuta of Argentina and Germany's Stefan Effenberg to Qatar and signed to play with the Al Rayyan club, critics claimed he was turning his back for good on mainstream European football.

His decision to join the Reebok ranks suggest both he and Allardyce believe he can still hack it at the highest level.