Hierro is Ancelotti's new assistant at Real Madrid

MADRID (Reuters) - Former Real Madrid defender and captain Fernando Hierro will take over from Zinedine Zidane as coach Carlo Ancelotti's assistant, the La Liga club said on Thursday.

Real announced last week that former France captain Zidane would manage the club's reserve team, Castilla, next season.

Hierro, 46, left Real in 2003 under something of a cloud along with current Spain coach Vicente del Bosque after being considered surplus to requirements by club president Florentino Perez.

Hierro made 601 appearances for Real, scoring 127 goals, and was capped 89 times by Spain.

After leaving Real, he had a short playing stint at Bolton Wanderers in the English Premier League and was later sporting director of the Spanish national team and at Malaga in the Andalusian city where he was born.

(Reporting by Iain Rogers, editing by Tony Goodson)