My dad is a Man Utd legend but I had to leave Man City to make my way in football – now I’m top scorer in my league
DEVANTE COLE always had big boots to fill.
Being the son of Manchester United legend Andy Cole, many reckoned the goals would naturally come.
But after a tricky early start to his career, which saw him leave Manchester City, Cole is now leading the goal charts in League One with Barnsley.
The 28-year-old striker has taken the long road to football stardom.
He started his youth career with City in 2003 before breaking into the senior ranks 11 years later.
But Cole quickly realised he would need to move on to make it big.
And after taking in loans at Barnsley and MK Dons, he departed a year later for Bradford City.
Cole then bounced around numerous clubs, playing for Fleetwood Town, Wigan, Burton Albion, Motherwell and Doncaster Rovers.
He eventually joined current club Barnsley in 2021 but encountered early struggles, netting just once as they were relegated from the Championship.
However, things picked up for Cole last season when he netted a career-high 15 goals.
CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS
And he looks set to shatter that record this term, having already hit the target nine times in 12 games.
It means Cole is currently the top scorer in League One, with Barnsley in third place and hoping to secure at least a play-off spot.
The forward previously opened up on living in the shadow of dad Andy, who netted 121 goals for Man United while winning the Treble and an additional four titles.
Cole said: “He (Andy, dad) lets me get on with it. Obviously he’s there to give me advice if I want it but he’s really keen to just let me do my own thing.”
He added to Yahoo Sport: “I think (comparisons) are something that will always hover over me and there’s nothing I can do about that. Maybe I should have played a different sport!
“I just played football because I enjoyed it as a kid and when it got serious I carried on and I’m happy with it.”
MAN UTD NEWS LIVE: Stay up to date with all of the latest transfer and takeover news from Old Trafford