Manchester United legend Andy Cole has been impressed by Danny Welbeck this season.

Cole acknowledged the way Welbeck has become a viable alternative to Javier Hernandez.

"I think Danny's brilliant, and it's fantastic for his confidence that he's starting so many big games," Cole told manutd.com.

"Javier Hernandez has been injured and has been finding it tough to repeat what he did in his first season. Sometimes your second season is your toughest, I went through that myself.

"Danny has come in and grabbed his chance with both hands and he's playing very well. He's playing with confidence and getting goals too."

The former United striker can see a comparison between Welbeck's way of playing and the style which helped Cole himself to score nearly a century of goals for the Reds.

"You might say I was a bit of an old-fashioned centre forward when I played, in that I always wanted to try and run in behind defenders and get chances that way. To see Danny doing that is great."