The Hammers use their youth players as ballboys on matchdays and Zola feels it is right they are given tasks as part of their apprenticeship.

"It is not just this country, and there is a downside to it," Zola said. "Young players get things too easily and it makes them weaker.

"The more difficult tasks you have in front of you the tougher you become. It's something that has to be considered for the future.

"People said to me when I was young that I had to clean the boots because when I was older someone would do it for me - now I am older and I'm still cleaning the boots."

The 42-year-old did not just clean one pair of boots when he started at Nuorese Calcio - he had to polish the footwear for the whole team.

"When I was an apprentice for a team in the third division in Sardinia, I used to clean all of them, not just one," he said.

"It was a good lesson. Playing the game is not just about scoring goals, education is just as important."

Zola went to Napoli later in his career when he was in the same squad as Diego Maradona.

"For Maradona I would clean his boots now," Zola said.

Meanwhile, Zola is looking to nurse Scott Parker through the rest of the season despite the midfielder's groin problem.

"Scotty has a groin problem, it is a chronic problem," Zola said. "He has been suffering in the last few games but has played anyway and has made a great contribution to the team.

"He doesn't have to rest, he has to train in a certain way for a while."