Yorke picks Cole over Rooney

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  • Dwight Yorke forged one of the greatest strike partnerships English football has ever seen when he teamed up with Andy Cole at Manchester United.

    The former Trinidad and Tobago forward has also been singing Wayne Rooney’s praises since the United skipper became the club’s all-time top scorer, beating Sir Bobby Charlton’s record.

    However, when asked to pick between Cole and Rooney as his strike partner up front, Yorke inevitably stayed loyal to the former Newcastle United man.

    “You can’t ignore Rooney in terms of what he’s done and what a great player and record-breaker he’s become. As a club icon he’s up there with the likes of Sir Bobby and the late George Best. \

    “Nevertheless, not that I don’t want to play with Wazza, but if I had to choose, I’d pick Andy Cole simply because of what we had and what we achieved as a team. Needless to say, the treble-winning year will go down as the biggest moment in Manchester United’s history.

    “To be part of that and play alongside Coley and others, I don’t think I’d change any of it despite Rooney’s success and record. It’s got to be one individual and that’s Andy Cole.”

    Another United striker who has been making headlines ever since his arrival in the summer is Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The Swede has no doubt had an impact on the team and the younger strikers like Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford in particular.

    However, his presence has also limited the duo’s playing time to an extent but Yorke hasn’t been deterred by that fact.

    “Zlatan is a shining example for the younger players coming through and that is a good thing. Sometimes you need a little bit of guidance. United haven’t been the most successful over the last three years.

    “Having someone like Zlatan at the club,  his personality, demeanor and what he represents; there’s a lot more confidence within the team. The young players around him can learn from that. Rashford is 19 and he will only get bigger and better eventually.

    “It’s very important that you have the likes of Zlatan around. They will reap the benefits, maybe not now in this point in time but United have always built on going forward so when the likes of Zlatan is finished, Rashford and Martial will get their chances and the position will reverse because they will become the senior players.

    “It’s an ongoing thing so I wouldn’t be too disappointed that they aren’t playing as much at the moment.”

    United are still in the hunt for a top four spot in the league and have secured a League Cup final berth whilst also remaining in the FA Cup and Europa League.

    Yorke accepts that a cup win and top four would be a good result but maintains that the team will continue to fight on all fronts.

    “At United it’s all about winning the league and every competition we enter and the mentality will always remain the same despite the fact that we didn’t win the league in the last three years. But we won the FA Cup last year, are in the EFL Cup final this year, and are still in all the competitions.

    “It’s too early to pick a winner (in the league) although the clear candidates at the moment are Chelsea. But we’ve seen a deficit of 12 points turned around. I’m not saying that will happen but it’s never over until it’s over and United will always have that belief until it’s mathematically impossible.

    “They’re in a good moment at this point in time and they’ll become better as the season goes ahead.”

    Sport360 caught up with Yorke at an event in Dubai on Wednesday for the club’s official paint partners, Kansai Paint,

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