Manchester Utd legend Park Ji-Sung (L) and Manchester Utd legend Andy Cole (R) congratulate Manchester Utd legend Dwight Yorke (C) after Yorke scored United's second goal during the friendly football match between Manchester United's Legends and Bayern Munich All Stars at Old Trafford in Manchester, northwest England, on June 14, 2015. The charity friendly football match reuniting former Manchester United stars with legends from Bayern Munich was played in aid of the Manchester United Foundation. AFP PHOTO / PAUL ELLIS (Photo credit should read PAUL ELLIS/AFP/Getty Images)PAUL ELLIS/Getty Images

Andy Cole, Former Manchester United Striker, Reveals Ongoing Kidney Illness

Rob BlanchetteNov 4, 2015

Former Manchester United striker Andy Cole confirmed he is battling kidney illness with a statement on his Twitter account.

The ex-England international also announced he will miss a forthcoming UNICEF charity match he was scheduled to play in:

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United wished Cole a "speedy recovery," per their official website, after the former Red Devil spoke about suffering kidney failure in June.

Pundit Rio Ferdinand offered his support to Cole after his announcement:

The ex-player was to appear with David Beckham and Zinedine Zidane at Old Trafford on Nov. 14 to raise awareness and funds for UNICEF, per ManUtd.com.

Cole formed a deadly duo with Dwight Yorke at the head of United's attack, winning the treble in 1999 as the club stormed to UEFA Champions League success against Bayern Munich at the Camp Nou.

The former Newcastle United star is one of the most successful attackers in Premier League history, scoring 187 goals in 414 appearances, according to PremierLeague.com, winning the English league title on five occasions.

23 Nov 1999: Strike partners Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole of Manchester United lining up for the UEFA Champions League Group B match against Fiorentina at the Artemio Franchi Stadium in Florence, Italy. Fiorentina won 2-0. \ Mandatory Credit: Alex Livesey/

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The player moved to Old Trafford from St James Park in 1995, spending six seasons under the tutelage of Sir Alex Ferguson.

Cole also represented Blackburn Rovers, Fulham, Manchester City and Sunderland after leaving the Theatre of Dreams, but he now faces one of the biggest challenges of his life after the unfortunate news of his illness.