{"id":866545,"date":"2025-08-20T21:12:57","date_gmt":"2025-08-21T02:12:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/20\/interview-andy-cole-discusses-manchester-uniteds-premier-league-hopes\/"},"modified":"2025-08-20T21:12:57","modified_gmt":"2025-08-21T02:12:57","slug":"interview-andy-cole-discusses-manchester-uniteds-premier-league-hopes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/20\/interview-andy-cole-discusses-manchester-uniteds-premier-league-hopes\/","title":{"rendered":"INTERVIEW: Andy Cole discusses Manchester United\u2019s Premier League hopes\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Football <\/p>\n<div>\n<figure><picture fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\"><source type=\"image\/webp\"  ><img data-no-lazy fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"799\" height=\"533\" src=\"https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Andy-Cole.jpg\" alt=\"Football Andy Cole\"  >\n<\/picture><figcaption>AEROFLOT Manchester United Trophy Tour. Image credit:  Norio NAKAYAMA, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/norio-nakayama\/13047741473\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Flickr<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>During an exclusive interview with <strong>Esports Insider<\/strong>, Manchester United legend <strong>Andy Cole<\/strong> spoke about all things football after the new Premier League season kicked off.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Cole had his say on what to expect at Old Trafford this season, suggesting the club should have signed PSG shot stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma. <\/p>\n<p>Moreover, he also revealed he used to play old video games on his Nintendo 64 and Commodore, suggesting new-gen consoles are too tricky to play.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p id=\"esi-heading-68a62a90a2a97\">\n<h3><span id=\"esports_insider_have_you_ever_played_ea_sports_fc_fifa_or_do_you_still_play\">Esports Insider: Have you ever played EA Sports FC (FIFA), or do you still play?<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Andy Cole<\/strong>: No, I\u2019m so old school. I haven\u2019t played in games like <a href=\"https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/can-rematch-challenge-ea-sports-fc\">EA Sports FC<\/a>. There are too many buttons now.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>I was on the Nintendo 64, Commodore and all those kinds of things. Now there are too many buttons up and down.<\/p>\n<p id=\"esi-heading-68a62a90a3ce0\">\n<h3><span id=\"esi_does_your_son_ever_challenge_you\">ESI: Does your son ever challenge you?<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Andy Cole:<\/strong> No, because my son\u2019s decent, but like I said, because I\u2019m so old school, it\u2019s far too many buttons.<\/p>\n<p id=\"esi-heading-68a62a90a4917\">\n<h3><span id=\"esi_moving_on_to_real-life_football_ruben_amorim_said_the_club_proved_united_can_beat_any_team_in_the_premier_league_after_the_arsenal_performance_do_you_see_where_hes_coming_from\">ESI: Moving on to real-life football, Ruben Amorim said the club proved United can beat any team in the Premier League after the Arsenal performance. Do you see where he\u2019s coming from?<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Andy Cole:<\/strong> Well, that\u2019s what the Premier League\u2019s about. Any team can beat any team. I think that\u2019s what makes the league so exciting. But it was a positive performance for the first game of the season. Nobody wants to lose their first game of the season, especially at home, but you just have to try and take positives out of it. And it was a good, solid performance and come the weekend, hopefully, they will be able to get their first three points.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p id=\"esi-heading-68a62a90a552d\">\n<h3><span id=\"esi_mbuemos_pace_frightened_arsenal_a_little_bit_dont_you_think\">ESI: Mbuemo\u2019s pace frightened Arsenal a little bit, don\u2019t you think?<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<p>When you\u2019ve got someone like Mbuemo who\u2019s got loads of pace, it\u2019s going to be a huge plus when he\u2019s running in behind looking to stretch teams. He did it against Arsenal, and he did it at Brentford for many years. Now he\u2019s got the big move to Manchester United, I can see him doing exactly the same thing.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p id=\"esi-heading-68a62a90a67ac\">\n<h3><span id=\"esi_what_about_benjamin_sesko_given_your_experience_what_advice_do_you_have_for_him_in_these_first_weeks_leading_the_line_for_united\">ESI: What about Benjamin Sesko, given your experience, what advice do you have for him in these first weeks leading the line for United?<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Andy Cole:<\/strong> Just enjoy it. The Premier League is totally different to the Bundesliga, so naturally it\u2019s going to take him a little bit of time to settle.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Fingers crossed he\u2019s given that little bit of time. But as you know, football now means people don\u2019t really give anyone any time. So when he does get the chance to start week in week out, it\u2019s ideal to try and get off the mark as quickly as possible. But just try and enjoy it as much as you can.<\/p>\n<p>The pressure\u2019s always going to be on, being a Manchester United striker, because it\u2019s Manchester United. He\u2019s still a young man. He\u2019s still learning the game. Hopefully, everyone alongside him can help him in the next few months and then go from there.<\/p>\n<p id=\"esi-heading-68a62a90a805d\">\n<h3><span id=\"esi_gianluigi_donnarumma_is_he_a_goalkeeper_man_united_could_do_with_having_in_net\">ESI: Gianluigi Donnarumma, is he a goalkeeper Man United could do with having in net?<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Andy Cole:<\/strong> He is a top goalkeeper, and I\u2019m very surprised that he\u2019s in that position he\u2019s ended up in PSG.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>His performances have been unbelievable. But then again, you don\u2019t know what\u2019s going on. Wherever he ends up, he will be an unbelievable goalkeeper for whoever he plays for. You mentioned Manchester United there. You don\u2019t know because as a goalkeeper you\u2019ve gotta know what he wants. Obviously, when you are at that level, Italian national team goalkeeper. You\u2019re gonna look at yourself and say, well, I won the Champions League last season. I wanna be involved in the Champions League this season. He\u2019s one of the best goalkeepers in the world.<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, what he ends up doing, he\u2019s definitely a top goalkeeper. I\u2019d love to see him at Man United. Of course I would. He\u2019s a top goalkeeper. If Manchester United do get back in the Champions League, that obviously is a big temptation, and maybe they could tempt him. If it doesn\u2019t happen from now to close the window, for instance, he\u2019s gone somewhere by then. So you just don\u2019t know. So you\u2019ll have to wait and see. Football\u2019s a game that can happen out of nowhere.<\/p>\n<figure><picture decoding=\"async\"><source type=\"image\/webp\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/grass-2616911_1280-large.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/grass-2616911_1280-medium.jpg.webp 300w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/grass-2616911_1280-medium_large.jpg.webp 768w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/grass-2616911_1280.jpg.webp 1280w\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" alt=\"Football grass\"   data-old-src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%201024%20682'%3E%3C\/svg%3E\" srcset=\"https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/grass-2616911_1280-large.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/grass-2616911_1280-medium.jpg 300w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/grass-2616911_1280-medium_large.jpg 768w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/grass-2616911_1280.jpg 1280w\" src=\"https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/grass-2616911_1280-large.jpg\">\n<\/picture><figcaption>Image credit: StockSnap from Pixabay<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"esi-heading-68a62a90a9963\">\n<h3><span id=\"esi_what_do_you_make_of_isaks_situation_back_in_the_day_your_move_to_man_utd_from_newcastle_kind_of_just_came_out_of_nowhere_i_guess_you_knew_the_deal_was_going_through_already\">ESI: What do you make of Isak\u2019s situation? Back in the day, your move to Man Utd from Newcastle kind of just came out of nowhere. I guess you knew the deal was going through already?<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Andy Cole:<\/strong> I remember I played for Newcastle in the FA Cup on Sunday, then I joined Manchester United on Tuesday. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/sport\/football\/articles\/cj4wzkz9xd5o\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">We\u2019re all different.<\/a> We\u2019ve all got our likes and dislikes. We\u2019ll deal with things differently. I\u2019m not going to sit and say he\u2019s been advised poorly or anything like that. I don\u2019t know what\u2019s going on. <\/p>\n<p>You don\u2019t know what\u2019s going on. Obviously, he and his camp know what\u2019s going on, and that\u2019s a decision he\u2019s taken. Am I saying he\u2019s right or wrong? No. That\u2019s not for me to say, but personally, I\u2019d think about what I\u2019d look to do. People might say I\u2019m right, people might say I\u2019m wrong. It is what it is.<\/p>\n<p id=\"esi-heading-68a62a90aabd9\">\n<h3><span id=\"esi_arsenal_finally_got_their_man_in_victor_gyokores_but_he_got_a_bit_of_criticism_after_the_game_on_sunday_what_have_you_seen_of_him_in_preseason_and_will_he_be_what_arsenal_hope_he_can_be\">ESI: Arsenal finally got their man in Victor Gyokores, but he got a bit of criticism after the game on Sunday. What have you seen of him in preseason, and will he be what Arsenal hope he can be?<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Andy Cole:<\/strong> He played one game against Manchester United, and all of a sudden the knives are out!\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>I mean, no one is given time these days. People should be talking about him after five or six games, not after his first game. Fair enough, he didn\u2019t play well, but it\u2019s the first game of the season. I think we\u2019re going to have to wait and see with him.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>We know the Portuguese league is totally different to the Premier League. There\u2019s an adjustment period, settling in, and obviously Arsenal need to be playing to his strengths, and then he\u2019ll go from there. I\u2019m not going to sit here and have a go at anybody, because he needs time to adjust.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p id=\"esi-heading-68a62a90ac4d7\">\n<h3><span id=\"esi_united_have_got_fulham_away_next_and_the_team_has_got_a_great_record_there_how_much_confidence_will_eight_wins_in_a_row_at_craven_cottage_give_united_ahead_of_that_game\">ESI: United have got Fulham away next, and the team has got a great record there. How much confidence will eight wins in a row at Craven Cottage give United ahead of that game?<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Andy Cole:<\/strong> You\u2019ve got to approach every game to try and win every game. Like you touched on, they got a good record there, but sometimes you might go into a game thinking we\u2019ve got a good record, and it doesn\u2019t work out the way you want to work out.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Fulham ended up nicking a draw at the weekend away to Brighton, but this will be their first home game of the season. So it is not as if they\u2019re going to say, right, we\u2019re going to lie down for Manchester United. So I think it\u2019s going to be another good game. Fulham played some real good stuff last season.<\/p>\n<p id=\"esi-heading-68a62a90ad777\">\n<h3><span id=\"esi_it_looks_like_ruben_amorim_is_not_too_keen_on_rasmus_hojlund_at_this_point_in_time_if_you_could_give_him_some_advice_on_how_to_turn_it_around_what_would_you_say_to_him\">ESI: It looks like Ruben Amorim is not too keen on Rasmus Hojlund at this point in time. If you could give him some advice on how to turn it around, what would you say to him?<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Andy Cole:<\/strong> Well, that\u2019s another one. You always try to give advice, but ultimately you turn around and say, \u2018you are not in that position anymore\u2019.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>You know when you\u2019re playing, you\u2019re in that position. You hear all the noise from the outside saying, \u2018oh you should do this and you should do that\u2019. If I go back to when I was playing, everyone\u2019s got an opinion on everything, but no one knows what\u2019s going on. It\u2019s not for me to say, but if he stays or if he goes. in his head, he knows ultimately what he\u2019s going to have to do.<\/p>\n<p>If he moves on, ultimately, he\u2019s going to have in his head what he has to do if he moves on. Only he can get himself in that position where he feels comfortable in whatever he\u2019s doing. And at centre forward, you are always going to be judged on your goals anyway. <\/p>\n<p>I mean, you could be terrible for 89 minutes and then score a tap-in from a yard, and the 89 minutes previously don\u2019t count for anything because you\u2019ve got the winner. That\u2019s football, and that\u2019s what it is for a centre forward. He\u2019s just got to get his head down, like I say to young kids coming up, get your head down, enjoy it and it\u2019s no different to when you\u2019re a so-called senior pro or younger pro, you\u2019ve just got to get your head down, enjoy it and when you\u2019re given the opportunity you\u2019ve got grasp it with both hands.<\/p>\n<figure><picture decoding=\"async\"><source type=\"image\/webp\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/football-19221_1920-edited.jpg.webp 800w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/football-19221_1920-edited-medium.jpg.webp 300w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/football-19221_1920-edited-medium_large.jpg.webp 768w\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" alt=\"Football football\"   data-old-src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%20800%20600'%3E%3C\/svg%3E\" srcset=\"https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/football-19221_1920-edited.jpg 800w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/football-19221_1920-edited-medium.jpg 300w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/football-19221_1920-edited-medium_large.jpg 768w\" src=\"https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/football-19221_1920-edited.jpg\">\n<\/picture><figcaption>Image credit: PublicDomainPictures,  Pixabay<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"esi-heading-68a62a90af8a9\">\n<h3><span id=\"esi_i_think_people_forget_how_young_he_still_is_hes_been_there_two_years_but_really_hasnt_had_as_consistent_a_run_in_the_team_as_hed_wanted_but_maybe_he_can_knuckle_down_and_get_back_in_there\">ESI: I think people forget how young he still is. He\u2019s been there two years, but really hasn\u2019t had as consistent a run in the team as he\u2019d wanted, but maybe he can knuckle down and get back in there?<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Andy Cole:<\/strong> I think sometimes when you\u2019re inexperienced yourself, you could do a little bit of help from someone a few years older, which I was fortunate to have in my time at Manchester United.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Players I played with, like Mark Hughes, Eric Cantona\u2026 With players like that, I felt like I was learning. I\u2019m constantly learning from these guys and then not just those guys, but the guys in midfield and at the back as well. I had a lot of senior pros there that I could learn from and I could turn to. I think when you go to Manchester United and you\u2019re a young individual, there\u2019s a lot of pressure on you as a Manchester United centre forward.<\/p>\n<p id=\"esi-heading-68a62a90b0bce\">\n<h3><span id=\"esi_whats_your_favourite_memory_of_roy_keane_from_off_the_pitch\">ESI: What\u2019s your favourite memory of Roy Keane from off the pitch?<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Andy Cole:<\/strong> Roy is one of the nicest people you could ever come across. I\u2019ve always said I\u2019ve been fortunate; I\u2019ve always had a good relationship with him. So to sit down in his company, have a conversation, have a laugh and a joke, I mean, those things for me are always things that I\u2019ll always remember. He\u2019s genuinely a really nice individual.<\/p>\n<p id=\"esi-heading-68a62a90b18be\">\n<h3><span id=\"esi_ive_seen_the_united_fans_debating_whos_the_most_underrated_manchester_united_player_since_1992_and_dennis_irwin_gets_a_lot_of_shouts_who_would_get_your_vote_for_most_underrated\">ESI: I\u2019ve seen the United fans debating who\u2019s the most underrated Manchester United player since 1992, and Dennis Irwin gets a lot of shouts. Who would get your vote for most underrated?<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Andy Cole:<\/strong> Den has to be up there because he was Mr. Consistent. I think they paid \u00a3650,000 for Den. He was possibly one of the best left or right backs that the Premier League has ever had. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.givemesport.com\/most-underrated-players-manchester-united-history-ranked\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">But no one talks about that<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>He did his job week-in, week-out to the best of his ability and the best of his ability to the top draw. You know, but like I said, he was the darling of the media? He wasn\u2019t that guy really. But I definitely put Den up there. Free kicks and penalties too.<\/p>\n<p id=\"esi-heading-68a62a90b2cb0\">\n<h3><span id=\"esi_its_only_a_couple_of_weeks_until_the_manchester_derby_already_if_united_play_like_they_did_against_arsenal_can_the_club_get_a_result_against_city\">ESI: It\u2019s only a couple of weeks until the Manchester derby already. If United play like they did against Arsenal, can the club get a result against City?<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Andy Cole:<\/strong> They can get a result against anybody. Like the manager\u2019s already touched on. What you\u2019ve got to factor in your football as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Sometimes, that little bit of attention to detail. There might be that one mistake that costs you whatever may be, but you can beat anybody in full. Look at the FA Cup final. Did anyone expect Crystal Palace to beat Manchester City? Did anyone expect Crystal Palace to beat Liverpool in the Community Shield? It\u2019s a new season, the Derby comes up and anything\u2019s possible.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"631\" alt=\"Football Digital football\"   data-old-src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%201024%20631'%3E%3C\/svg%3E\" srcset=\"https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Screenshot-2023-02-17-at-10.15.04-min-large.png 1024w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Screenshot-2023-02-17-at-10.15.04-min-medium.png 300w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Screenshot-2023-02-17-at-10.15.04-min-medium_large.png 768w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Screenshot-2023-02-17-at-10.15.04-min-1536x946.png 1536w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Screenshot-2023-02-17-at-10.15.04-min.png 1920w\" src=\"https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Screenshot-2023-02-17-at-10.15.04-min-large.png\"><figcaption>Image credit: Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"esi-heading-68a62a90b409e\">\n<h3><span id=\"esi_newcastle_is_fighting_for_european_spots_again_and_winning_trophies_do_you_feel_pride_because_you_represented_that_club_or_do_you_still_see_a_club_that_let_you_go_too_early_when_you_could_have_done_more\">ESI: Newcastle is fighting for European spots again and winning trophies. Do you feel pride because you represented that club? Or do you still see a club that let you go too early when you could have done more?<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Andy Cole:<\/strong> No, I don\u2019t look at it like that. I think watching Newcastle win the League Cup last season, I was very happy for them. If you speak to any football fan and they\u2019ll turn around and say, \u2018delighted Newcastle finally won that cup\u2019, because they were virtually everyone\u2019s second team.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>I played there under Kevin Keegan, the way they used to play football and they were nicknamed the entertainers at that time. It was always everyone\u2019s second team. The passion of the fans, and in the Northeast as well, is just phenomenal. So when they won the League Cup, I was very, very happy for them.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>When Palace won the FA Cup, I don\u2019t think you could find anyone who said they didn\u2019t want Palace to win, the first trophy they\u2019ve won in their club\u2019s history. Of course, you\u2019re going to be happy for them. Why wouldn\u2019t you be? You could be a hardened fan of any other football club, and Crystal Palace won their first ever trophy, so be happy for them. That\u2019s what football is, football is about dreams.<\/p>\n<p id=\"esi-heading-68a62a90b5cca\">\n<h3><span id=\"esi_for_newcastle_do_you_think_playing_in_europe_this_season_might_cost_the_club_the_chance_of_having_a_solid_premier_league_campaign_or_do_you_think_theyve_got_enough_to_fight_on_both_fronts_this_year\">ESI: For Newcastle, do you think playing in Europe this season might cost the club the chance of having a solid Premier League campaign? Or do you think they\u2019ve got enough to fight on both fronts this year?<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Andy Cole: <\/strong>We\u2019ll have to wait and see, on that side, you\u2019ve got more games. I think Eddie Howe has been trying to bring in players because you need more numbers. Because you\u2019ll have more volume of games. So we\u2019ll have to wait and see.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Pre-season hadn\u2019t gone the way they would\u2019ve liked it to have gone because they hadn\u2019t won a game in pre-season, and drew at the weekend.<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, again, playing the way they did at the weekend, all that was missing was someone who could put the ball in the back of the net. And you end up finding yourself in positions like that. I think they\u2019ll be okay, they\u2019re a good team. They proved it last season, and the reinforcements will make them a better team.<\/p>\n<p id=\"esi-heading-68a62a90b7704\">\n<h3><span id=\"esi_darwin_nunez_never_made_the_grade_at_liverpool_in_the_end_he_went_over_to_the_saudi_pro_league_do_you_think_hes_found_his_level_over_there\">ESI: Darwin Nunez never made the grade at Liverpool. In the end, he went over to the Saudi Pro League. Do you think he\u2019s found his level over there?<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Andy Cole:<\/strong> I\u2019m not sitting here to say he\u2019s found his level, he\u2019s not found his level. He went to Liverpool, and I think he did well at Liverpool. I mean, people are going to talk about how he missed some good chances or whatever may be, he gave a hundred percent every time we watched him play, he gave a hundred percent, and he got himself in those positions.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>He could get himself in those positions. He didn\u2019t take every chance that he got, but you can\u2019t take away the fact that he scored some really important goals for Liverpool as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p id=\"esi-heading-68a62a90b8d3f\">\n<h3><span id=\"esi_is_it_disappointing_to_see_players_like_ivan_toney_go_over_to_the_saudi_pro_league_at_the_peak_years_of_their_career\">ESI: Is it disappointing to see players like Ivan Toney go over to the Saudi Pro League at the peak years of their career?<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Andy Cole:<\/strong> Look, the decisions they make, I\u2019ll go back to, you can only ask these guys.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m not going to sit here and say, \u2018oh you should never have done that\u2019. If I found myself in that position, I don\u2019t know what I would\u2019ve done. So I\u2019m not going to be trying to be hypocritical about anything because when you\u2019re in a certain position, you don\u2019t know what decision you would\u2019ve made. So, for me, at my age, outside looking in, you turn and say, well, he\u2019s made that decision based on X, Y, Z.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m not one of those Ex-Pros who turns around and says \u2018but you should never have done this. Should never have done that\u2019.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>I had my time. I thoroughly enjoyed my time. I\u2019m not going to sit and have a go at anybody for making decisions that they feel are best for themselves. I\u2019m old enough, stupid enough to know what I\u2019m saying now. Because sometimes you say something, then someone misconstrues it or makes it out the way they want and makes it to say, Andy Cole said he\u2019s an absolute idiot for going there.<\/p>\n<p>And that\u2019s the kind of decision you need to make between yourself, your wife, or your girlfriend. You have to think about everything.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p id=\"esi-heading-68a62a90bb4a3\">\n<h3><span id=\"esi_you_said_before_that_one_of_the_most_clinical_finishes_in_premier_league_history_was_robbie_fowler_is_there_anyone_in_the_premier_league_at_the_moment_who_can_come_close_to_him\">ESI: You said before that one of the most clinical finishes in Premier League history was Robbie Fowler. Is there anyone in the Premier League at the moment who can come close to him?<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Andy Cole: <\/strong>I don\u2019t think so, no. He was probably an individual that I used to watch closely, I mean, finishing, he was quality. The game has changed now, everyone\u2019s crying out for that number nine.<\/p>\n<p id=\"esi-heading-68a62a90bc1f9\">\n<h3><span id=\"esi_if_the_1999_andy_cole_played_now_in_2025_would_you_score_more_goals_or_or_less_goals\">ESI: If the 1999 Andy Cole played now in 2025, would you score more goals or or less goals?<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Andy Cole:<\/strong> I\u2019d always turn around and say, I back myself to score more goals. The game has now just changed so much. But then you can factor in return and say, well, VAR. That would take goals away because if you\u2019re talking like you\u2019re going to be ruled offside because of you\u2019re kneecap or if you\u2019re size six and you\u2019re a size 10, all these kinds of stupid things, you\u2019ll have more goals chalked off.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>So I\u2019d sit down and say, yeah I think I will, but then I turn around and say to myself, well, I\u2019m not sure because the one when you are, you are half a yard onside, they\u2019re giving it offside, so you just don\u2019t know.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p id=\"esi-heading-68a62a90bd563\">\n<h3><span id=\"esi_do_you_think_linemen_used_to_give_the_benefit_of_the_doubt_to_the_striker_back_in_the_day\">ESI: Do you think linemen used to give the benefit of the doubt to the striker back in the day?<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Andy Cole:<\/strong> Yeah, of course they did. But it\u2019s not down to the linesman anymore, is it? It\u2019s down to the camera saying, he\u2019s a size 10, that\u2019s why he is offside, but if it were a size six, he\u2019d be onside. You know, straight away, that\u2019s nonsense. That\u2019s the benefit that the centre forward should have.<\/p>\n<figure><picture decoding=\"async\"><source type=\"image\/webp\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/shutterstock_716222587-edited.jpg.webp 703w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/shutterstock_716222587-edited-medium.jpg.webp 300w\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"703\" height=\"527\" alt=\"Football Football player on a pitch\"   data-old-src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%20703%20527'%3E%3C\/svg%3E\" srcset=\"https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/shutterstock_716222587-edited.jpg 703w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/shutterstock_716222587-edited-medium.jpg 300w\" src=\"https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/shutterstock_716222587-edited.jpg\">\n<\/picture><figcaption>Image credit: Sergey Nivens \/ Shutterstock.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"esi-heading-68a62a90be33c\">\n<h3><span id=\"esi_mo_salah_equalled_your_record_of_187_premier_league_goals_this_weekend_what_do_you_think_of_him\">ESI: Mo Salah equalled your record of 187 Premier League goals this weekend. What do you think of him?<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Andy Cole:<\/strong> He\u2019s been phenomenal. Absolutely phenomenal. He\u2019s got as much in the tank as he wants. I mean, he looks Uber fit, hungry to win games, hungry to score goals. If he keeps going like that, he won\u2019t have any problems surpassing me. I don\u2019t rock myself to sleep.<\/p>\n<p>Say to myself, \u2018Oh my God\u2026\u2019, no. I don\u2019t care. I literally don\u2019t care. What makes me happy is that I\u2019ve been retired for over 15 years now. You know, I\u2019m 53 now, and I look at and turn and say to myself, sh*t, I\u2019m still up there. 187 goals, one penalty. I was never a penalty taker.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>So I look at that and I say to myself, sh*t. That has stood the test of time for sure. Now, if I\u2019d taken penalties, I\u2019d have had a hell of a lot more. I was thinking that you could have got to 230, 240 maybe. I\u2019m very, very proud of my record.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p id=\"esi-heading-68a62a90bfea4\">\n<h3><span id=\"esi_obviously_you_played_for_manchester_united_and_manchester_city_would_you_rather_be_playing_for_man_city_or_man_united_right_now\">ESI: Obviously, you played for Manchester United and Manchester City. Would you rather be playing for Man City or Man United right now?<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Andy Cole:<\/strong> Man United. Obviously, it\u2019s gonna take time as a project to be built now. If I\u2019m a young centre forward now, spearheading that project for the next, I don\u2019t know, five years or whatever. And then ultimately, you know, if you get that project right within the next five years and you help them get himself back to the pinnacle.<\/p>\n<p id=\"esi-heading-68a62a90c0b95\">\n<h3><span id=\"esi_the_target_for_this_season_is_top_four_but_getting_back_to_challenging_for_the_title_you_think_thats_the_five-year_plan_at_man_united\">ESI: The target for this season is top four, but getting back to challenging for the title, you think that\u2019s the five-year plan at Man United<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Andy Cole:<\/strong> It has to be. And everything\u2019s a process. It\u2019s gotta run its course. Now you can\u2019t close gaps within a year, two years, it\u2019s gotta be superhuman. There can\u2019t be any PSR if you\u2019re gonna close the gap that quickly, so it\u2019s gonna take time.<\/p>\n<p>If you look at Liverpool winning the league last season, it was brilliant. Never bringing any new players. Liverpool has now spent \u00a3300 million. In turn, you say to yourself, are they gonna be a better team? Of course, they\u2019re gonna be a better team now. They\u2019ve gone here, spending 300 million to improve themselves. So now the team in second place has gotta try and catch them. The team in third place has gotta try and catch the team in second place. So it\u2019s a bit of a domino effect, and it\u2019s gonna take time to improve.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Liverpool didn\u2019t win the league for 30 years. And then they\u2019ve got themselves in a position now where people are saying this season they\u2019re gonna win the league and could possibly dominate for the next four or five years. Football goes in cycles. Last season, everyone said Man City would win the league.<\/p>\n<p>Liverpool won. But before that, everyone would say Man City time\u2019s come to an end. So it\u2019s about building blocks, closing the gap. I think Manchester United will close the gap, but it\u2019ll be steady within the next four or five years maybe. You gotta close that gap.<\/p>\n<p id=\"esi-heading-68a62a90c2f82\">\n<h3><span id=\"esi_sunderland_have_spent_130m_in_the_summer_do_you_think_the_club_has_a_chance_at_staying_up_this_year\">ESI: Sunderland have spent \u00a3130m in the summer. Do you think the club has a chance at staying up this year?<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Andy Cole:<\/strong> Yeah, like all the teams, Sunderland would give it a very good go. It all depends on results going their way. A little bit of luck. Experience, inexperience. There\u2019s many factors in the teams when they come up to stand in the Premier League.\u00a0 Nine times out of 10, it is about winning more games than another team in your position.<\/p>\n<p>So that\u2019s not gonna change. We can talk about, yeah, they\u2019re gonna go straight back down. We never know, but if you win more games than the other teams around you, you will stay up. It\u2019s harder for teams that come up. It\u2019s because you\u2019re trying to find players that want to come to your club, not knowing if they\u2019re gonna be good enough to stay up. But if you stay up, you look to build on that.<\/p>\n<p id=\"esi-heading-68a62a90c43f3\">\n<h3><span id=\"esi_final_question_do_you_feel_like_football_is_not_as_entertaining_right_now_as_it_was_in_your_heyday\">ESI: Final question, do you feel like football is not as entertaining right now as it was in your heyday?<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Andy Cole:<\/strong> It\u2019s changed a lot. It\u2019s a little bit sterile. Sometimes, watching the other team,s you try and play like each other. Come on, man. Think outside the box.<\/p>\n<p>You all can\u2019t be sheep. You know, someone\u2019s gotta do something a little bit different. And when I think about football, when I played, people say everyone played 4-4-2, but everyone was trying a little bit somewhere else.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Someone played a long ball, flick on or whatever, some wanna get it down and play and all, it was always different. There was a mixture of everything going on. If you take away the Premier League and you go to the Championship or League One, everyone\u2019s trying to play like that as well. And you think, come on, everyone can\u2019t play the same way. We\u2019ve gotta be a little bit different, we\u2019ve gotta wanna be different. Everything\u2019s based on stats now; it\u2019s become very American.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/2025\/08\/andy-cole-exclusive-interview\" class=\"button purchase\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read More<\/a> ESI Editorial Team<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>AEROFLOT Manchester United Trophy Tour. Image credit: Norio NAKAYAMA, Flickr During an exclusive interview with Esports Insider, Manchester United legend Andy Cole spoke about all things football after the new Premier League season kicked off.\u00a0 Cole had his say on what to expect at Old Trafford this season, suggesting the club should have signed PSG<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":866546,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3036,3790,22316],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-866545","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-discusses","8":"category-football","9":"category-interview"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/866545","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=866545"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/866545\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/866546"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=866545"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=866545"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=866545"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}