Ashley Cole believes Andre Villas-Boas is the right man for the Chelsea job

Ashley Cole, Chelsea (Getty Images)

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Ashley Cole believes Chelsea have chosen the right man in Andre Villas-Boas if they want further success at the club.

The England defender has seen an average of more than a manager a season in his five years at the club, but says Villas-Boas is the ideal choice if they want to challenge both domestically and in Europe.

As a former opposition scout at Chelsea, Cole knows his new boss well, and is impressed by how meticulous he is in his preparation.

“Honestly, it was amazing how thorough he was,” Cole told The Sun.

“He would brief Jose on all the players we were facing to the point where we knew which foot they favoured, whether they liked to go inside or outside, preferred to cross deep or short, their stamina levels, the lot.

“If we’d wanted to know what they had for breakfast I’m sure he could have found out for us.”

At just 33 years of age, Villas-Boas becomes the youngest ever Premier League manager, but Cole does not believe it will be a hindrance for the club.

He continued: “People say they are surprised he’s Chelsea manager because he’s so young but since he left us he’s won everything he could at Porto.

“We already know how enthusiastic he is so hopefully it will all come together and we can start winning trophies again.”

And it is not just the new manager’s age which has come under the media spotlight of late, with people beginning to question the ageing Chelsea squad.

Cole continued: “I don’t feel old and I don’t think the other players do. We are a fit team, Lamps can run forever, I feel I can run a lot and Didier is still strong and fighting.

“There’s plenty of life left in me. I started out with Lee Dixon and Tony Adams and used to think ‘my God, these lot are old.’”

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