The remarkable stats behind Cole's United career

After arriving from Newcastle United in a sensationally unexpected transfer in January 1995, the centre-forward played 195 times in the top division for the Reds, scoring 93 times. An average goal return of one per every other game is deemed to be the mark of a great striker and he was doing this at the highest level.

Opta broke down how he scored the goals - 61 came with his favoured right foot, 17 with his left and an impressive 15 with his head. More on that later. As you would expect, the penalty box was where he really came alive and the vast majority of his tally was finished there (85), with eight efforts being unleashed from outside the area. 

It probably gets overlooked but Andy weighed in with 33 assists too, playing his part in a fully functional team that could cut defences to ribbons.

To put his exploits into context, only two players outscored him in the period between his United debut, against Blackburn Rovers in January 1995, and his final outing, at home to West Ham United, in December 2001.

All-time record Premier League marksman Alan Shearer stands alone at the top, while Coley's great pal Dwight Yorke was second during that timeframe. Another ex-Red, Dion Dublin, also ranks highly in the list.

Premier League goals in Cole's time at United*:
119: Alan Shearer 
98: Dwight Yorke
93: Andy Cole
88: Robbie Fowler
86: Dion Dublin

*From 22 January 1995 to 8 December 2001.

Assists were not such a big deal back then but Opta have provided the data that shows, when you consider them and package it up as 'goal involvements', the United striker is still only beaten by Shearer and Yorke over the course of his Old Trafford career.

Premier League goal involvements in Cole's time at United*:
153: Alan Shearer (119 goals, 34 assists)
136: Dwight Yorke (98 goals, 38 assists)
126: Andy Cole (93 goals, 33 assists)
120: Dion Dublin (86 goals, 34 assists)
117: Dennis Bergkamp (64 goals, 53 assists)

*From 22 January 1995 to 8 December 2001.

So what about Cole's aerial ability? It's not something you would instantly associate with the Nottingham-born hitman but he is actually joint-third on the list of headed goals for United in the Premier League, behind only Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes. Finding the net, however he could, was just the main part of Andy's repertoire.

Headed goals for United in Premier League:
19: Wayne Rooney
18: Paul Scholes
15: Andy Cole, Dwight Yorke
14: Ruud van Nistelrooy

A stat that people often refer to when discussing Coley's goalscoring success is the fact that he never took a penalty for the Reds. He explained that in an interview here and, when you consider Shearer bagged an incredible 56 spot-kicks, it does put things into perspective.

Andy tops this table with another Reds icon, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, in second place. 

Most goals for Premier League team with no penalties:
93: Andy Cole (United)
91: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (United)
90: Sadio Mane (Liverpool)
74: Gabriel Agbonlahor (Aston Villa)
69: Luis Suarez (Liverpool)

So, overall, in terms of the Premier League, Coley's 93 goals places him sixth on the club's all-time list.

Premier League goals for United:
183: Wayne Rooney
109: Ryan Giggs
107: Paul Scholes
103: Cristiano Ronaldo
95: Ruud van Nistelrooy
93: Andy Cole

When you add in his strikes for Newcastle, Blackburn, Fulham, Manchester City and Portsmouth, his influence on the division is obvious. The 187 goals rank him as an all-time legend when it comes to the art of finding the net.

Top Premier League scorers:
260: Alan Shearer
213: Harry Kane
208: Wayne Rooney
187: Andy Cole
184: Sergio Aguero

Hence, his place in the Premier League's Hall of Fame, announced on Monday, is very much merited. Congratulations, Coley!