Manchester United are on the verge of announcing Rasmus Hojlund as their third summer transfer move, but in contrast to Mason Mount the wonderkid striker is unlikely to be given an iconic shirt number.
Rasmus Hojlund will soon be handed his official shirt number once his £72million transfer fromAtalantatoManchester Unitedis confirmed.
Having landed in England on Tuesday, the Danish hotshot promptly completed the first part of his medical at United’s Carrington training base. Hojlund, 20, arrives as the answer to Red Devils bossErik ten Hag’sprayers, havingpleaded with his superiors to sign a strikerduring thesummer transfer window.
Unfortunately for Hojlund, though, his hopes of taking an iconic shirt number at Old Trafford look likely to be quashed. WithMason Mountinheriting the historic No.7 shirt upon signing fromChelseathis summer,Anthony Martialstill donning 9 andMarcus Rashfordremaining No.10, theDenmarkinternational may have to choose a less famous number.
Even the No.11 shirt – made famous by club legєɴԀRyan Giggs- is still occupied byMason Greenwood. The forward remains suspєɴԀed by United, with the outcome of an internal investigation to decide his future, after the Crown Prosecution Service dropped attempted rape, assault and coercive control charges,set to announced in the next two weeks.
Having worn the No.45 and 28 during his early days as a senior player for native giantsCopenhagen, Hojlund then moved to Austrian outfit Strum Graz and wore the No.9 shirt. That was until Atalanta snapped him up in a Ԁєɑł worth €17m (£14.6m) last summer and handed him the No.17.
That was the same number which he wore within Copenhagen’s academy alongside No.11 and 9. It likely holds sentimental value for Hojlund but United already have a No.17,Fred.
That could change soon, however, with the Brazilian midfielder missing the Red Devils’ pre-season tour of the United States due to what the club described as a personal issue. Fred’s absence came amid rumours of a move to Turkish giantsGalatasaray, although they’ll have to meet United’s alleged £20m asking price.
Fulhamhave also been tagged with interest but thePremier Leagueside aren’t willing to cough up that amount of cash for a 30-year-old in the final 10 months of his contract. By shipping Fred out before the Red Devils’ opening game of the season at home toWolveson August 14, Ten Hag could hand Holjund the No.17.
But what if Fred stays? That’d leave 13 and 15 as the only double-digit numbers below 30 available, having last been worn by veteran goalkeeperLee GrantandBayern MunichloaneeMarcel Sabitzerrespectively.
Still, taking a rogue number shouldn’t get Hojlund too down after completing a dream transfer. “It’s a huge club, so I must have done something right if it says they want me,” he recently declared. “My goal is to reach the top shelf, and you can say thatManchester Unitedis.”
