Cole during the partnership press conference between Manchester United and Commercial Bank Qatar in Doha yesterday
BY DENZIL PINTO
DOHA: Twenty-time English Premier League (EPL) champions Manchester United have enough quality in their squad and will be the ‘team to beat’ in the EPL this season, according to legendary striker Andrew Cole.
For the first time in 26 years, ‘The Red Devils’ have begun this season under new coach David Moyes after legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson retired in May.
Speaking after the launch of a new five-year partnership between the three-time European champions and Commercial Bank Qatar yesterday, the 41-year-old, who is now a club ambassador, said his former side will be a strong contender for the title.
He said: “Manchester United will be there or thereabouts. They are reigning champions at the moment and they are the team to beat.”
The England striker, who is second in the all-time EPL scorers’ standings added: “I think everyone is expecting Manchester United will be there or thereabouts come the end of the season.”
When asked if the challenge could be difficult following Ferguson’s retirement, Cole, who scored 93 goals for Manchester United in 195 appearances said: “There’s a new manager (David Moyes). There are no doubts that everyone believe that in the Premiership (EPL) the players will be saying that ‘the old manager has gone, we got a new manager in and we still got another good chance to win the Premiership (EPL)’. Yet Manchester United are the team to beat because they are the champions.”
Cole played for a number of clubs before moving to Old Trafford in 1995, where he completed a £7m move from Newcastle, a British record at the time.
He later scored the goals to help Manchester United win five EPL titles, two FA Cups, two Charity Shields and formed a formidable partnership with Dwight Yorke that helped the club clinch the Champions League title in 1999.
Speaking of a career in football, Cole said a footballer must ‘enjoy’ playing the game. “You have to enjoy it. Football gets tougher when you are older. When I was young, I used to enjoy myself and you can play for many odd years. You just have to enjoy it as much as possible.”
He added: “And if you do play at the highest level, make sure you raise to the level, do your job and take it all in because it won’t be too long before you retire.”
Having arrived in Doha nearly 24 hours earlier, Cole is keen to return to Qatar again in the future.
He said yesterday: “I hope so (in visiting Qatar). The club has a partnership over the next five years. I’ve been here a few times and hopefully it (the partnership) will give me more opportunities to see Qatar.” THE PENINSULA
