What Andy Cole did 30 years ago for Man Utd now seems unthinkable, shows how far the club has fallen

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The Manchester United of today is unrecognisable from the club of a decade ago, let alone 30 years ago.

The Sir Alex Ferguson era for Manchester United is something which will be impossible to replicate.

The United legend spent 26 seasons managing the club which saw 38 trophies brought back to Old Trafford. This is an incredible record which saw him average 1.4 trophies per season.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s trophy record at Manchester United

Put into perspective, United have won seven trophies in 12 years – pending a possible Europa League crown this season.

Looking back, it becomes apparent how poor United’s current squad and performances are. Now the events of exactly 30 years ago and Andy Cole in particular have reminded us just how far United has fallen.

• READ MORE: Inside the life of Manchester United legend Sir Alex Ferguson

On this day in 1995, Manchester United beat Ipswich 9-0

Looking back, March 4th represents the 30th anniversary of one of Manchester United’s biggest-ever victories.

In March 1995, United thrashed Ipswich Town 9-0 at Old Trafford in front of 43,804 fans.

The game saw Roy Keane score while Mark Hughes got a brace and Paul Ince got one – but Cole stole the show with five goals for United in a performance that goes down as an all-timer.

Scoring five in one game emphasises how special a striker Cole was, and how big of an upgrade he would be for the 2025 squad at Ruben Amorim’s disposal.

With 121 goals for United, Cole currently sits 19th in United’s record scorer’s list, which is a goal tally which looks impossible for United’s two senior strikers currently to achieve with a combined seven goals.

Andy Cole puts current Manchester United strikers to shame

Hat-tricks have become a rarity at Manchester United, a far cry from Denis Law’s record-setting 18 hat-tricks.

Since Cristiano Ronaldo’s hat-trick against Norwich in the Premier League back in 2022 – which was his second in three games – no United striker has managed three in one game. Only Amad Diallo has managed to achieve this since.

Before this, United’s wait stretches all the way back to 2013 when Robin van Persie fired United to Premier League glory with his hat-trick against Aston Villa.

Now, United strikers are struggling to get even one goal, let alone a hat-trick or even more unbelievably five in one game. United faced Ipswich last week and not a single striker managed to score.

Manchester United strikers 24/25 record all competitions

Rasmus Hojlund has no goal in 18, while Joshua Zirkzee has managed five all season. If we had to make a prediction, Chido Obi seems more likely to end this wait than either of his senior teammates.

Or perhaps it will take the potential arrival of Victor Osimhen.