Ten Hag leads praise for Hall of Fame inductee Cole

The legendary Reds striker has joined ex-Chelsea defenders Ashley Cole and John Terry in receiving the honour.

When asked by club media if it was a deserved accolade for the prolific goalscorer, Ten Hag said: "I think totally. As we all remember, he was part of a great team, winning the Champions League, winning Premier League titles. He was a top scorer and he was an amazing player.

"I think he produced so many goals, but also many important goals for Manchester United, and it is totally deserved that he is a member of the famous Hall of Fame."

Shearer, the Premier League's all-time top scorer after his exploits for Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United, spoke of his respect for one of his contemporaries.

"Andy made goalscoring look very easy when it is not," he explained. "He was an instinctive finisher, one of those where he just didn't have to think, it just looked as if it came naturally to him.

"Scoring goals from every single position - from different angles, left foot, right foot, volleys, everything. He was as good as there was, at that particular time, when he was playing.

"Any team going against him knew they were in for a tough time and knew that they had to be at their very best, at their peak, to stop him. They also knew that if there was going to be half a chance, more often than not, he would finish it.

"When you look at the goals he scored and the number, it is phenomenal. You see why he has the respect that he has within the game. We all understand what a great goalscorer he was."

Another former Newcastle hitman, Les Ferdinand, also offered his support for his fellow ex-England international.

"It’s a massive accolade and it’ll mean a massive amount to him to be recognised and join the people and peers already involved in the Hall of Fame," said Ferdinand. "He deserves it without a shadow of a doubt.

"He’s been retired well over 10 years and he’s still the fourth-highest goalscorer in the Premier League. Look at Andy’s achievements as a player, he’s won everything he could possibly win domestically.

"I don’t think Andy was a media darling and that probably played against him in terms of his reputation and the way people spoke about him. Had he been anyone else, he’d have been lauded and been in the Hall of Fame a lot sooner."