Cole eyes central berth

Liverpool midfielder Joe Cole is hoping the new manager will opt to keep him at the club and play him in a central role.

The England midfielder has just completed a successful season on loan in France at Lille but, despite the fact they had been looking at keeping him, he has returned to Anfield. With the club still looking for a manager to replace the axed Kenny Dalglish, Cole's future appears to be up in the air but he is hoping he can persude whoever gets the job that he should build a club around Cole in the middle of the park. "I haven't had any conversations with Liverpool, but as it stands I'm back there for pre-season," Cole said. "When you don't know who the manager is going to be you cannot do much else really. I'm hoping to make it at Liverpool. "My time at Lille has been extremely positive. I've moved back from the wing into a more central midfield role and I have thrived there. It's my best position, I was doing it at 19 for West Ham. "The days of me running down the wing are over, I see my future in the middle now. It's where I can get my foot on the ball and get the best out of myself. Once a new manager is appointed then we'll see how it goes with him."