Cole: Falcao One Of A Dying Breed

Former Manchester United striker Andy Cole feels Radamel Falcao is one of a dying breed of old-fashioned no.9s.

The 42-year-old Reds legend wore the shirt with distinction during his time at Old Trafford and is looking forward to the Colombian getting off the mark for his new club following his loan switch from Monaco at the end of the transfer window.

In an exclusive interview with ManUtd.com, Cole backed Falcao to become a real favourite once he reaches peak fitness and is acclimatised to the physical nature of the Barclays Premier League. After being denied by a save from QPR's Rob Green and then hitting the bar at the King Power Stadium on Sunday, Falcao is getting closer to grabbing his first Reds goal.

"Of course, he had a bad injury with his cruciate [knee ligament] and it's a case of getting yourself back up to match speed," explained the Treble winner. "There were flashes the other day at Leicester and everyone knows what a quality player he is.

"It was a super ball for Robin van Persie and a superb header for us to go 1-0 up. He will score goals at this level because he's a quality player. Fingers crossed, he'll stay away from injuries and do very well for Manchester United.

"For me personally, when I look at him, I see an old-fashioned centre-forward. He wants to get into the box and score goals. He is very brave. You don't see a lot of that any more in the game. It's why he went to Monaco in the first place for £50million. He gives you a hell of a lot of goals.

"I wouldn't say there are others like him out there," he added. "The old-fashioned no.9 is a dying breed. There are not many out-and-out goalscorers who want to run into the box to score goals.

"So I think they are a dying breed. When you do have someone like Falcao, if he does score goals, he will be treasured here. It's a case of gradually easing him into it as he's been out for a long time and going from there."

Cole admits the arrival of the world-class striker has given Louis van Gaal selection problems up front but it is a situation that any manager in the world would welcome.

"Well, that's why I'm not a manager or a coach," he replied, when asked which forwards he would select. "I think when you bring in all those players, you are going to create a problem.

"It's a healthy problem when you've got good strikers but, as a manager, you've got to make those decisions and balance the rest of the team off that if you play them all together."