I played for Man Utd while my partner was giving birth and she was furious about it

Andy Cole has opened up about the intense pressure he faced on and off the pitch at Manchester United, including playing in a game as his partner was giving birth.

Having joined the Red Devils from Newcastle United for a record-breaking £7million, a staggering sum at the time, Cole was met with a wave of scepticism. Now 52, the ex-England striker was often branded 'arrogant' and 'surly' following his high-profile transfer, with his public persona drawing criticism.

Determined to silence his critics and cement his status as a United great, Cole made the tough decision to stay with his squad rather than be with his wife during labour just before a crucial match against Southampton. Reflecting on the whirlwind of media attention that followed his move to United, Cole remarked in the new '99 documentary (via the Mirror): "I didn't understand what the media clamour was going to be and the pressure they started to put on me.

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"Then the media was saying 'I'm arrogant, I'm surly'. Football forms an opinion of people. How well do you really know this person? In that time, my partner was pregnant with my first son."

Cole recounted the intense conflict of duty he faced when his partner went into labour. He recalled: "Leading up to the Southampton game at Old Trafford, she had gone into labour. We were trying to win the Premier League. I remember the manager calling and saying to me, 'What are you thinking?'"

At just 25 years old and only four months into his time at United, Cole felt the weight of expectation. "[I was] 25 years of age, I had only been at