Former Manchester United striker Andy Cole has previously expressed his annoyance at how his old club Newcastle treated him after leaving for Old Trafford.

Cole had been in prolific form for the Magpies since moving to the club from Bristol City. In the 1993/94 season, the striker bagged a whopping 34 goals in just 40 top-flight appearances.

He continued this stellar form into the 1994/95 season but a fallout with Kevin Keegan saw the brakes applied to his career at St James' Park. Fortunately for the Reds, Sir Alex Ferguson stepped in and offered Cole an out in the 1995 January transfer window.

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It would be a bombshell exit that crushed Newcastle fans and gifted United a striker who would prove integral to five Premier Leagues and a Champions League. In 2020, Cole reflected on his time in the North East and the sour relationship he has had with the club since.

"I enjoyed Newcastle," he told the UTD Podcast. "The only problem, for me, personally, it came too early for me. I’m not a big fan of people idolising me. I think that’s mad.

"When I went to the supermarket, I couldn’t shop. People were chasing me for autographs and I was like: 'What is this?'"

After the aforementioned falling out with Keegan, Cole admitted that Newcastle fans saw him in a different light and that would always frustrate him. "I wasn’t looking to leave Newcastle, I was very happy there," he added.

"When that episode [with Keegan] happened at the hotel I basically said 'Nah, I’m not going to have you talking to me like that'. So when I went walking for five days, we had a meeting, settled it and he handed me a new contract but I don’t think he let go of that situation.

"It’s always annoyed me [the reaction from Newcastle fans to Cole's exit]," he concluded. "I remember a few years ago I went up with Les [Ferdinand] to do interviews.

"People came up and heckled me and I said 'You might as well go home or I’ll get up and walk out. I’m not really fussed by it'.

"Previously, people have understood what’s going on. The club made the decision that they wanted to sell me."

United and Newcastle meet at Old Trafford on Monday night knowing a win will be crucial to steady the ship. Ruben Amorim's men have lost three matches in a row across all competitions and sit languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League table.

In contrast, Newcastle are flying after four victories on the spin and they are aiming to chase down those top four spots.