Is Larnell Cole the next Manchester United star to roll off Ferguson's conveyor belt?

By Graham Chase

PUBLISHED: 05:49 EST, 15 May 2013 | UPDATED: 06:08 EST, 15 May 2013

Who is Manchester United’s latest hat-trick hero?

Winger Larnell Cole further endeared himself to Manchester United fans with three goals as his side progressed to the under 21 Premier League Elite Group final against Tottenham with a 3-0 victory over old rivals Liverpool.

Cole, 20, scored twice from the spot and drilled in a third to give Warren Joyce’s youngsters a resounding win in front of the watching Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford.

Three and easy: Larnell Cole netted a hat-trick for Manchester United U21 against Liverpool

He also scored a penalty and laid on another for Ravel Morrison in United’s brutal 3-2 FA Youth Cup quarter-final victory at Anfield in 2011, which saw both sides finish with nine men.

The Manchester-born youngster has form in derbies and scored a hat-trick in a 6-1 reserve-team thrashing of City in 2011 and managed four against Oldham in the Manchester Senior Cup in February.

Haven’t we heard the name before?

No relation to United legend Andy, the former England under 19 international made a substitute appearance for the United first team in their 3-0 League Cup win at Leeds in September 2011.

On a bizarre night at Elland Road, which saw United finish the game with Dimitar Berbatov and Michael Carrick as centre-backs after Zeki Fryers limped off to leave them with 10 men, Cole came on for Federico Macheda for the final 13 minutes.

No relation: Larnell Cole is not related to former United striker Andy Cole

Paul Pogba also made his debut that evening and Ferguson said afterwards: “Young Larnell Cole came on at the end, which was very good for him.

'He’s a very young under-18s player, he’s the youngest of the players coming on so it was good for them to get a taste of the atmosphere and a taste of what the first team’s like.'

What sort of player is he?

Cole generally plays on the right flank but is at home in a host of attacking positions and has even had a stint at full-back to help bring more discipline to his game.

Pacey and small, Cole is technically accomplished and gave Liverpool’s Jack Robinson, who has plenty of first-team experience, a difficult evening on Monday.

Making his mark: Cole has starred for the U21s this season

What are his strengths?

Capable of showing plenty of skill at pace and comfortable running wide or drifting in-field, Cole has been a key man for Joyce’s reserve side.

Mental strength is not a problem either and he knocked in a penalty at Anfield after Paul Pogba was bizarrely shown a second yellow card for taking a spot-kick too early.

Liverpool’s Adam Morgan did his best to disrupt Cole for his first penalty on Monday and the winger also stood his ground when team-mate Jesse Lingard tried to take the second.

Plenty in his locker: Cole has skill and pace in abundance

And his weaknesses?

Cole appears to be 5’7 or 5’8 at most but looks to have worked on his power and is said to have improved the defensive side of his game significantly after having a spell in a deeper role.

What are his chances of breaking through at Old Trafford?

Cole was an unused substitute for the rest of last season’s League Cup run and was also on the bench for the 1-0 Champions League defeat at Galatasary in December.

Wilfried Zaha’s imminent arrival will push him further down the queue but he only turned 20 in March and it may be that a decent loan spell next season could force him into David Moyes’ thinking.

Tom Cleverley, who had loans at Leicester, Watford and Wigan, before becoming a United regular at 21 is the man for the current crop of youngsters to look to emulate.