According to reports from The Sun on Sunday via Mirror Football, Manchester United could offer former Arsenal and Chelsea man Ashley Cole a shock return to the Premier League in January.
The ex-England international made 228 appearances for Arsenal and 338 appearances for Chelsea – winning three Premier League titles, seven FA Cups, the 2012 Champions League title and 107 Three Lions caps in the process – before leaving the English top flight for Roma in summer 2014.
But the veteran left-back has struggled to impact at the Stadio Olimpico, making just eleven appearances across all competitions last season and still awaiting his first outing of the current campaign after slumping behind summer signing Lucas Digne in the pecking order.
The 34-year-old’s contract expires at the end of the season but manager Rudi Garcia is keen to find him a new club in January, knowing Cole’s playing days at top level are numbered, which saw him linked with a shock move to Newcastle United earlier this month.
But according to The Sun, an Old Trafford switch could be on the cards instead. Resident No.3 Luke Shaw is likely to be out for the majority of the season after suffering a double leg break in September and although United have plenty of potential cover in the likes of Marcos Rojo, Daley Blind, Matteo Darmian and Ashley Young, none are specialist left-backs.
With vast experience at the highest level of the game, Cole could prove to be a shrewd solution on a short-term deal until the end of the season.