Cole: Why I loved playing with Laurent Blanc

The Reds' enticing second game of the summer is at Murrayfield in Edinburgh this coming Wednesday (14:00 BST), against a Lyon side managed by Laurent Blanc. Tickets are still available here.

Cole, who made 275 appearances for United between 1995 and 2002, only played in the same team as the Frenchman for six months but it was long enough for the prolific striker to appreciate the World Cup-winning defender's qualities.

“Laurent? Oh man. Laurent was a Rolls Royce,” Andy told us, in an exclusive interview to promote the Lyon match.

“He was a real quality player. I’ve said to myself, I'd love to have played with Laurent when he was younger as well, because the way he played towards the end of his…