"I Know The Player He Is, The Professional He Is & The Influence He Has"

Manager Frank Lampard could not hide his delight as his former England and Chelsea teammate Ashley Cole penned a contract with Derby County until the end of the 2018/19 season.

Cole, like his manager, has enjoyed an illustrious career.

He boasts 19 winners’ medals to his name, over 100 England caps and is still going strong at the age of 38.

The full-back, who left Major League Soccer side LA Galaxy in November 2018, provided the most assists in the league last season.

Cole has been reunited with his former Chelsea teammate Lampard for the first time since 2014 and the Derby boss is delighted to secure his services.

“Ashley Cole is a great professional and a great lad,” Lampard said.

“He is very fit and fresh and wants to continue to play. I know the player he is, the professional he is and the influence he has.

“In my opinion, he is the greatest left back of a generation and up there in world football for sure. In terms of a player in an England shirt at left back, I’ve played with him and I’ve seen him deal with the best players in the world at big tournaments.

“The best players take risks. They have a confidence, hunger and burning desire to get the most out of themselves in different circumstances. Ashley Cole is a player that will leave everything on the pitch.”

Cole is vastly experienced having played at the highest level with Arsenal, Chelsea and AS Roma.

He also sits sixth in the list of England’s most-capped players and the manager believes he can have a positive influence around the club.

“He wants to be a coach when he finishes playing and that can be a slight transition for him whatever he wants to do,” Lampard commented.

“On Saturday, for example, we had Lee Buchanan on the bench who is a left-sided defender.

“He will look up to someone like Ashley Cole and look to learn from him. Tyree Wilson was also on the bench and played left back for the youth team in the FA Youth Cup a week ago. He was exceptional and he will look up to him, too. It can only be a help to them.

“It’s a sign of what big experienced players can do to people around them and it’s a big part of it when you get to the latter stages of your career. You want to help people around you and Ashley will do that.”