Former England striker Andy Cole has waxed lyrical about one “brilliant” Manchester United legend and claimed that his presence at Old Trafford was “absolutely huge.”
Andy Cole arrived at Old Trafford in 1995 after he was signed from Newcastle and the Manchester United legend enjoyed incredible success under Sir Alex Ferguson.
The 52-year-old former United and Newcastle striker scored an impressive 121 times during his 275 appearances for the Premier League club.
Cole was a key first-team player for former United manager Sir Alex Ferguson and later forged an incredible partnership with fellow club legend Dwight Yorke.
Dwight Yorke and Cole’s incredible strike partnership played a key role in United’s iconic continental treble win in the famous 1998-99 season.
During his time at Old Trafford, Cole lifted five Premier League titles, a Champions League and two FA Cups before his Old Trafford exit in 2001.
The United legend went on to play for the likes of Blackburn Rovers, Fulham and Nottingham Forest before retiring from football in 2008.
Cole talks up Man Utd legend
Andy Cole shared the pitch at Old Trafford with a roster of star-studded talent, including Dwight Yorke, Roy Keane, David Beckham and Ryan Giggs.
The former England international arrived at United when fellow Red Devils legend Eric Cantona was already part of the dressing room.
Eric Cantona was a larger-than-life figure for the Red Devils during the 1990s and had a seminal impact under Aberdeen and United legend Sir Alex Ferguson.
One of United’s legendary No 7s, the 58-year-old Frenchman lifted four Premier League titles and two FA Cups during his legendary spell at Old Trafford.
Cole admitted that former United teammate Cantona was “very quiet,” but the Frenchman would “do all of his talking on the football pitch.”
Speaking to the World Football Index, he said: “Eric was cool. His presence at Manchester United was absolutely huge and rightly so because he was a brilliant footballer who achieved so much at the club.
“He had such a great aura around him and in the dressing room, he was very good at speaking when he needed to but otherwise, he was very quiet.
“Eric used to do all of his talking on the football pitch and he was a natural leader as soon as we crossed the line to start a game.
“On the pitch, he used to always talk a lot particularly when I was playing alongside him which helped me when I initially joined the club.
“I enjoyed playing with him and I learned so much from him as well as the other players that were at the club because we had such a strong team with big personalities from Roy Keane to Eric and others.”
Cole talks about his Man Utd career
Cole candidly opened up about his prolific career with United and admitted that the Red Devils were “extra special” due to them being a “family-orientated club.”
“Manchester United is my team so I was more than happy to be able to achieve what I achieved at the club,” he said.
“When you retire, you have that little bit more time to reminisce about things and I always look back with great memories of playing at Manchester United.
“I loved it. I loved everything about it. I loved the supporters and everyone around the club. It was a family-orientated club as well and that is what made it extra special.
“Across the club, we all got on well, our kids got on well and everyone on the staff around the club was phenomenal.”
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