Cole wants to regain England place

Published Sep. 8, 2011 1:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

Joe Cole believes his move to French champions Lille can put him back in contention for a place in the England squad.

The 29-year-old forward last week made the move to Ligue 1 on a season-long loan from Liverpool, where he made only 11 Barclays Premier League appearances last season and failed to impress.

But the former Chelsea player is confident he can recapture his best form in France, and told BBC Sport: "In 10 games I'll be back playing my best football and I see no reason why I won't get back in the [England] team."

Cole has not appeared for his country since last summer's World Cup but has 56 caps to his name.

His Liverpool career did not get back on track after he was sent off against Arsenal on his league debut and then missed a penalty on his next appearance, against Trabzonspor in the Europa League play-off round.

"It didn't work out at Liverpool and I can't fault them one bit," Cole said.

"I wouldn't blame anyone. There are many reasons and I knew from fairly early on that things would be difficult."

Lille goalkeeper Mickael Landreau has expressed his view that Cole and the club are a perfect fit for each other, telling Radio Monte Carlo: "He has a profile which matches ours in that he wants to achieve something. We feel that he has ambition and he can also give us the benefit of his experience."

Cole has a similar view to his new team-mate, and added: "This offer excited me. It looks a great club. They did the double last season and I wanted this experience to test myself in the French league.

"I've won everything in England and had a successful career. Ever since I was a young lad, I wanted the opportunity to play abroad.

"It's a good opportunity to learn a new language and take in a new culture.

"I might have a cracking season out here that leads on to something else. You can't think too long-term in this game, things happen in the blink of an eye but as it stands it's a season-long loan so let's see how it goes for everyone concerned."