Joe Cole has declared himself happy with his debut for French club Lille.

The England midfielder came off the bench to set up a goal for Ludovic Obraniak as the Ligue 1 champions ran out 3-1 winners against Saint-Etienne last night.

After the final whistle Cole admitted that he is not yet fully fit, but was pleased with the start to his Lille career.

"I am still not at 70 per cent fitness and I still need a few games to reach my best level," Cole told France Football.

"However, I am happy with my performance and I hope to continue helping the team.

"I am really happy to have started playing again. France is a new experience for me, a new league, a new challenge."

The 29-year-old joined Lille last week on a season-long loan deal from Liverpool.

Written by
Liam Apicella