West Ham cult hero Carlton Cole is back in training after joining up with fan-owned club AFC Wimbledon.
The former Hammers favourite tweeted “Feels great getting back into training. Big thanks to Wimbledon AFC. Great working environment”
Cole has been without a club since he left Indonesia side Persib Bandung in March this year.
The former Hammer left Persib without scoring a goal in 268 minutes of action during his spell of less than five months. The No.9 puts his failure down to a complete breakdown in relationship with the team manager, Umuh Muchtar, who is a controversial figure in the sport having since been given a six-month ban for withdrawing his side from a match against rivals Persija Jakarta.
Cole said of his time on Indonesia “They have a coach who trains you all week but then there’s a manager called Umuh Muchtar who books hotels and oversees the players, we call them player liaisons or club reps in England, but over there it is known as the manager. At Persib, this guy dominates the whole team. He won’t be at training and then he will still pick the team for the matchday. The coach who trains you doesn’t have much power, the manager picks everything. If the manager doesn’t like you or chooses another player on a whim, then you won’t play, even if you are the best in recent weeks and in training”
