The 26-year-old Iceland full-back was signed by Bolton manager Gary Megson from Dutch club AZ Alkmaar during the January transfer window to help their bid to avoid relegation.

His arrival coincided with the Lancashire club's turn in fortunes as they climbed out of the bottom three to secure their top-flight status for another season.

And while Steinsson admitted the past few months had been "very stressful" he believes the experience has served him well as he prepares to play for Iceland in their international friendly against Wales on Wednesday.

proud players

Steinsson said: "It was tough at Bolton when I arrived, the fight to avoid relegation was serious. But we achieved what was needed and I felt I learned a lot about the game in the UK, which will only help me in the future."

Steinsson is the latest Icelandic export to follow in the footsteps of Eidur Gudjohnsen and Hermann Hreidarsson.

But, for now, he has an international break ahead of a holiday, saying: "I am looking forward to playing against Wales, it is always nice to come home to play for the national team.

"There are a lot of young players in this squad, we do not have Gudjohnsen or Hreidarsson this time, but that means there is the chance for the younger players to make their mark.

"We have good players, proud players, and this game will be between two teams of emerging players intent on proving themselves."