Thirty-year anniversary of Cole swoop

It was simply a move that nobody saw coming. The Reds were in the market for a new striker but had been strongly linked with Nottingham Forest sharpshooter Stan Collymore, who showcased his talents by scoring a fabulous goal at Old Trafford in December.

Alex Ferguson was keen to recruit a fast forward to feed off Eric Cantona, with Mark Hughes coming to the end of his marvellous time at the club.

Cole was idolised by the Newcastle faithful and seemingly unattainable but all was not well behind the scenes.

The Magpies' leading scorer had bagged 14 goals in the opening 17 games of the season but suffered a shin-splits injury and was actually on something of a drought.

During his UTD Podcast appearance, Coley admitted there has been a falling out with manager Kevin Keegan some time earlier, which, ultimately, led to his surprise departure.

"When we came to the hotel, Kevin told me to 'do one'," revealed the brilliant marksman. "And I said 'alright, no problem'. I packed my bags and walked out. The relationship was never the same."

There were whispers of Ferguson's interest while the striker was away on international duty but he, presumably like everyone else, brushed them off.

"In the few England squads I got in, I talked to Incey [Paul Ince] and he always mentioned 'the gaffer likes you'," Coley said. "And I was like 'nah, no chance, Newcastle will never sell me'.

"For me, it was just banter, I didn’t really take it seriously."

However, things became very serious, suddenly, in the early days of 1995. 

Although a British record deal worth £7 million (£6 million plus exciting Academy graduate Keith Gillespie) was struck, the Tyneside club's fans were dumbfounded. A number went to St James' Park to protest and Keegan addressed them personally to try to explain the rationale behind a stunning decision to offload their goal machine to a side they would soon be directly competing for the title against.

There was genuine sadness to see Gillespie, such a promising player, depart but general intrigue as to how Cole would perform at Old Trafford, on the biggest stage.

Ferguson was in no doubt, even conceding he also feared it would be nearly impossible to persuade the north-east outfit to part with their prolific no.9.

"Andy Cole is ideal for Manchester United," declared the Reds boss. "He's our type of player. I've been saying that for one-and-a-half years but never thought we would get a sniff of being able to sign him.

"This was a last-gasp effort and it paid off. We started negotiations because Kevin was interested in Keith Gillespie and very keen to have him. At that point, we had to reconsider because he's a good young player but, sometimes, you have to give something to get something."

Again speaking on his UTD Podcast, Cole spoke of his arrival in Manchester.

"My first training session was at Old Trafford," he recalled. "I had no boots, I had nothing. I walked into the dressing room to see people like Sparky [Mark Hughes], Eric [Cantona], Pete [Peter Schmeichel], Incey, Brucey [Steve Bruce] and I was saying to myself 'oh my god, two years ago, I watched these guys'.

"That’s how rapid my rise was. I couldn’t comprehend it at that time."

Coincidentally, the teams were due to play each other and neither player was allowed to appear due to an agreement reached by clubs. On 15 January, a 1-1 draw at St James' Park featured goals from Hughes and Paul Kitson and the new boys could get on with business.

So much could be written about what happened next. Cole made his debut in a live Sky game against Blackburn Rovers, running through in the opening stages but screwing his finish wide. United won, with a Cantona goal, but the Frenchman was sent off three days later, at Crystal Palace, and subsequently banned for eight months after assaulting a supporter.

Without our main creator, the picture changed quickly for the new big-money signing. A smart finish to see off Aston Villa in our next game quickly calmed some of the pressure surrounding the no.17 but even a remarkable five-goal haul in the record 9-0 demolition of Ipswich Town in March failed to totally erase any doubts over Cole's suitability in attack.

He was certainly in the firing line when unable to find a way past Ludek Miklosko when United camped in West Ham's penalty box, seeking the winner on the final day of the season that would have ensured Blackburn were pipped to the Premier League trophy. Yet, showing true resilience and character, he would help the Reds overtake his former employers in the dramatic 1995/96 Double-winning campaign and cemented his status as one of the best-ever strikers in the division.

Inducted into the Hall of Fame, last year, it is clear the Treble-winner was a successful, remarkable and bold signing by United and Ferguson.