First-team football and belief from Richie Foran persuaded Larnell Cole to extend Caley Thistle stay
LARNELL Cole admits the desire for first-team football and a manager who has faith in him meant Caley Thistle was the only place to be.
Frozen out at English Championship side Fulham, it was a proverbial no-brainer for Cole to extend his loan in Inverness until the end of the season.
Inverness boss Richie Foran made it clear to the former Manchester United youngster that he wanted to keep him, which Cole said is a change from what he is used to.
He has little of a relationship to speak of with Fulham manager Slavisa Jokanovic, who came in last season while Cole was out on loan at Shrewsbury.
The move took a while to complete, with the Caley Jags fretting as the deadline for Cole's loan expiry loomed and the deal no nearer to completion, but it was eventually nudged over the line.
Now, Cole can focus on padding his resumé with as many games as possible and repay Foran's belief in him.
“I get a chance to play here which is good. It was a bit of a slow start to the season but the training is good and helped me get back to a good level. I aim to get a full season without too many injuries," he said.
“I want to be playing week in, week out and not stop-start. I need to get that consistency back. It wasn’t too frustrating at the start when I wasn’t playing, because I didn’t really have a pre-season. But once you get back to them levels, you’re ready to play. The gaffer has got faith in me which is a good thing to know. I have to try repay that now on the pitch.
“When I was on loan last season, Fulham appointed him (Jokanovic) and I didn’t really speak to him, so he doesn’t really know me. Having a manager there that believes in me is always good.
“There was a small bit of uncertainty but I knew the gaffer wanted me to stay. I’m glad to get it sorted. I spoke to Fulham and asked them what was happening and they told me they were trying to get it sorted. I got a call from (first-team coach) Scott Kellacher to come back up."
The biggest challenge for Cole, over the past few seasons, has been steering clear of injuries. He missed a year with a knee injury prior to joining Shrewsbury on loan last season and has set himself the target of completing the campaign injury-free.
An achilles problem saw him miss three games earlier in the season for the Caley Jags but he appears to be over his problems.
“The thing for me, having had so many injuries, people will be wondering if I can do it. I just have to make sure that I’m working hard," added Cole, who is out of contract at the end of the season. “I didn’t expect training to be this intense – I’ve not had that in a while. The games are quite fast as well.
"Some games in League One and Two it will just be long balls, you might not get much of the ball. The little classy bits are what wins you games but the majority of it is a battle.
“We’ll see how the next few months go and then I’ll decide from then. I went back injured last season, which was disappointing, but playing in the Scottish Premiership is a big challenge. It’s something I relish being so young, trying to get more game-time. It will be important for us to stick together now, with the position we’re in."
