I'm a former Man United forward and I'm convinced Viktor Gyokeres would succeed at Old Trafford

Viktor Gyokeres should move to Manchester United after proving the gap between the Championship and the top flight isn't that vast.

That is the view of former United forward Andy Cole, who himself made the successful transition from a goalscorer in the Old Division One to a goalscorer in the Premier League at Newcastle United.

That convinced United to splash the cash on Cole in the winter of 1995 and he went on to win nine major trophies at Old Trafford.

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Gyokeres was prolific at Championship level for Coventry City and since making the move to Sporting CP in Portugal he has kicked on to new heights.

The 26-year-old has scored 66 goals in 68 games for the Portuguese champions, including 21 goals in 18 games this season in all competitions.

With former Sporting boss Ruben Amorim taking over as Manchester United manager today, speculation is rife that Gyokeres could follow him at the end of the season, given the goalscoring struggles of forwards Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee.

And Cole believes he should make the move, if United can stay within their FFP limits, and has backed him to be a success for United.

“A lot of teams will look abroad at players and think 'they could play in the Premier League', but there’s a lot of players in the Championship that could be given the same opportunity," Cole told Betfred.

"That’s the way I view it. Gyökeres has moved from the Championship to a league abroad and has excelled, so I do ask myself sometimes whether the gap is actually that big. I don’t believe it is. The championship is a difficult league at the best of times, so if you can score goals there, then you should be able to go abroad and do the same.

“If they want to sign him, then should he come to Manchester United? Yes, why not? That decision, however, will be down to the manager and finances. FFP’s not easy and Manchester United have spent a hell of a lot of money. We’ll just have to wait and see.”