INSTEAD of feeling under threat following the arrival of Andrew Cole, Daryl Murphy feels the experience of the former Manchester United man will help to bring more out of Sunderland's other strikers.

Cole emerged through an hour of Tuesday night's reserves win over Everton and will now be asked to step up his training in the hope he can make his debut against Reading on September 15.

And while the 35-year-old's availability would increase manager Roy Keane's options further up the field, it could also have a detrimental affect on the likes of Murphy who is battling for a starting role.

Having paid out £6m for Kenwyne Jones from Southampton, Keane will also been keen to give the Trinidad & Tobago international further opportunities to impress after his decent debut at Old Trafford on Saturday.

But, as well as knowing how Michael Chopra has made such a positive start after moving for £5m in the close-season, Murphy insists the competition is healthy for his own development.

"I'm looking forward to working with Andy Cole," said Murphy, who was used as a substitute at Old Trafford on Saturday. "You look up to players like that with his experience. He'll be brilliant for the younger lads in the team.

"I wouldn't say it's strange having big-name players around because why shouldn't we be attracting those sort of players to the club?

"We've had Dwight Yorke for a while now and his experience shows and helps us a lot. It's good for the club that players of that stature come in."

Murphy also paid tribute to Chopra, having scored two of Sunderland's three Premier League goals since his summer move.

"It is hard having so many different strikers but Chopra's come straight in and he's easy to play with," said the Irishman. "We've got a load of strikers and Chopra gets through a lot of work chasing defenders."

Yorke has had a part to play on the training field in coaching the strikers, so there is every chance Keane will now ask Cole to follow suit.

And Murphy, who many believe could be made available for loan following the former Newcastle man's arrival, is confident that having one of the most successful Man.

United pairings in recent years around the club will help everyone.

"Dwight helps everyone really," said the 24-year-old, who is preparing for the Republic of Ireland's Euro 2008 qualifier with Slovakia on Saturday.

"The experience he has is unbelievable and as a former striker himself he's brilliant to have around.

"He helps us out in shooting exercises and stuff like that. He tells us where we should be position-wise and things like that."