'Not intimidating' - Manchester United treble-winner makes honest Leeds United Elland Road 'atmosphere' claim

Former Manchester United striker Andy Cole admits he used to love visiting Leeds United at Elland Road during his playing days - although he was never intimidated by the 36,000-plus inside.

Cole was a regular rival in West Yorkshire, having faced Leeds as a striker for Newcastle United, Manchester United and Blackburn Rovers between 1993 and 2004. Overall, the clinical finisher scored six goals in 16 appearances against the Whites, five of which came at Elland Road.

During his six-year spell in Manchester, Cole will have felt the wrath of those inside Elland Road with the Leeds-Manchester United rivalry as fierce as ever. But speaking recently and putting rivalries aside, the 52-year-old praised Leeds fans for creating an excellent atmosphere whenever he came to town.

“[I] loved playing at Leeds and Anfield, for all that not intimidating but great atmosphere,” Cole told a Q&A session on Reddit. “Newcastle too.”

Elland Road is famed for its atmosphere and continues to host some of the most memorable celebrations, regardless of Leeds’ return to the Championship and subsequent failure to achieve promotion. The past season in particular has seen supporters and players reconnect inside the ground after two years of indifference.

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Nights such as the 3-1 win over Leicester City or last month’s outstanding 4-0 Championship play-off semi-final thumping of Norwich City will live long in the memory of those inside the ground, with fans and players sharing in celebration to the tune of ‘I Predict A Riot’ by local band The Kaiser Chiefs - a ritual that has seemingly got under the skin of rival players. And it was after that most recent win over his former side that Daniel Farke was quick to point out the incredible noise inside Elland Road.

“Many compliments to my young side,” the German said. “I was a bit concerned because the pressure was a bit on us after the first game. I don't know what the average age of our team was tonight but the lads delivered in a perfect way for such a young side. This place is second to none when it really gets rocking. The atmosphere is unbelievable."

Owners 49ers Enterprises will look to expand and develop Elland Road in the future but a key consideration will be how to retain that famous atmosphere, with modern grounds often losing those key components. Chairman Paraag Marathe has stressed the importance of keeping match-going fans at the centre of any plans, the hope an increase in capacity will only up the noise further.

"I’ll be honest with you, the main thing is to protect the magic and electricity that is in Elland Road,” Marathe told the BBC last season. “The answer then is [it] probably means that it’s more of a stadium expansion than a new stadium because I don’t want to take away from that. Players from the other 19 [Premier League] clubs, if they are going to list the three worst places that they want to play on the road for an away match, Elland Road is probably one, two or three for them. I don’t want to take that away.”