Fuller figure looking great!

LEAN AND MEAN . . . Ricardo Fuller.

HE might not quite be able to match the speed of his mate Usain Bolt, but Ricardo Fuller is in no doubt that once up to full fitness he will hit the ground running with Athletic.

The 35 year old was added to the Oldham squad on a short-term deal last week - the powerful, maverick forward’s first drop into the third tier of English football.

Fuller explained a clause in his Millwall deal saw him hit performance targets that would have kept him with the club - had Millwall not been relegated. Their drop released him.

After mooted moves to Bristol City and MK Dons failed to appear, Athletic came calling for a player whose hunger for the game remains substantial, three years ahead of his intended retirement date.

“I have always said I would like to finish at 38,” said Fuller. “If I can get close to that, then it is all good. I feel well and as a player you know when it’s time to finish.

“At Millwall I was the fastest player at the club. Nothing has changed; I still have the hunger to do well.”

Personal matters dictated a late return from a summer break in Jamaica and after three weeks of training, Fuller is building towards full fitness for his three-month Oldham stint.

“I was just keeping fit by myself in the gym, keeping myself together and looking to sign for a club,” he said. “Next thing I knew, the previous manager got sacked and David Dunn was interim manager. He knows the type of player I am. When he asked me to come here I said no problem.”