Cole admires Chinese fans

“The fans in China are great. You can have proper football discussions with them. They understand the game and they keep up-to-date with absolutely everything that’s going on at Old Trafford. You have to take your hat off to them for that.

“Then you have to consider the dedication that’s involved in waking up at ridiculous hours of the night to watch the team. I was in China at one point last season and I had to get up at 4am to see United play. That was hard work, yet plenty of people do that every week and then go to work or school afterwards.”

Cole, who played 275 times for Manchester United between 1995 and 2002, was appointed as a club ambassador in 2011 and admits it’s a position he’s enjoying immensely.

“Like any successful company, Manchester United has a lot of partners and you have to look after those partners. Ambassadors like myself, Bobby Charlton, Bryan Robson and Gary Neville meet employees of these companies, participate in Q&A sessions, conduct autograph signings... all that sort of stuff.