👕 Who should be given the iconic Number 7 shirt at Manchester United next season?

[Goodness]

Manchester United delayed their decision on replacing Cristiano Ronaldo during the January transfer window - in more ways than one - and the race is on to pick up the iconic No.7 shirt that he left behind when his second spell at Old Trafford was brought to a controversial end.

Bringing in Wout Weghorst to bolster their attacking options in the short-term, United also made a late move to sign Austria midfielder Marcel Sabitzer from Bayern Munich in another temporary agreement.

But who will try to emulate George Best, Bryan Robson, David Beckham and Ronaldo - among others - when it comes to finding a long-term successor?

Join the discussion and share your views on this topic.

[Goodness]

The leading candidate for the iconic Jersey in my opinion should be Jadon Sancho

Sancho was “stopped” from grabbing the number 7 shirt when he signed for United the season before last as Edinson Cavani held that honour at the time. However, in a previously unprecedented move, Cavani passed it over to Ronaldo upon his sensational return to the club after 12 years with Juventus and Real Madrid.

With regards to Sancho, it went in keeping with the notion that it should be earned.

After three months away from competitive action due to personal matters, the England forward will have the chance to do exactly that as he strives to recapture his Borussia Dortmund output. Sancho donned the number 7 throughout his four-year spell in Germany, which brought 50 goals and 64 assists from 137 appearances.

[Jeff]

Antony

Antony without a doubt has proved his worth to the club and performed in crucial times. His debut strike against Arsenal proved he has the ability to deliver on the biggest stage, and the Brazilian has left fans in awe.

Like the club’s previous no.7’s, he has mastered a wide range of skills and seems like the kind of guy who can handle the pressure of the no.7 shirt and not let its legacy affect his games.

[Amit]

Sancho and Antony are front runners but they will have to be consistent to take over this iconic jersey.

Over the years, the iconic number 7 shirt at Manchester United was donned by:

Antonio Valencia (1 goal)

The winger struggled to find his best form in 2012-13, scoring one goal in 40 appearances.

Angel Di Maria (4 goals)

Di Maria just scored 4 goals in 32 games in a single season from 2014-15 wearing the number 7.

Alexis Sanchez (5 goals)

Sanchez arrived at United in January 2018 amid high expectations. However, he didn’t live up to expectations and only scored 5 goals in 45 appearances from 2017-2019 before being loaned off to Inter.

Memphis Depay (7 goals)

Depay failed to live up to the hype and scored just 7 goals in 53 games from 2015-17 as a number 7 for the club.

Michael Owen (17 goals)

Undoubtedly one of the greatest forwards in the world, Owen scored 17 goals in 52 games from 2009-12 and also bagged 3 trophies wearing the number 7.

Edinson Cavani (17 goals)

Edinson Cavani was the latest to wear the number 7 before giving it up to Ronaldo. He nearly broke the number 7 curse for Man United as he scored 17 goals in 40 games in just one season from 2020-21.

David Beckham (64 goals)

One of the star player of Sir Ferguson, Beckham has scored 64 goals in 294 appearances. Moreover, he has bagged 8 trophies from 1997-2003 wearing 7 on the back.

Eric Cantona (80 goals)

Cantona, the United legend donned the number 7 jersey from 1993 to 1997 in 180 games, scoring 80 goals and won 9 trophies with the Red Devils.

Cristiano Ronaldo (120 goals)

Ronaldo famously wore the legendary number 7 during his first spell in England. In his first six seasons at the club, between 2003 and 2009, Ronaldo made 292 appearances and scored 118 goals, winning 9 trophies including 3 Premier League titles and the UEFA Champions League.

After making his return he got back the no.7 once again. During his recent stint for the club he made 40 appearances and scored 19 goals.

He is by far the most successful number 7 in Manchester United’s history and has scored the most goals for Manchester United wearing a number 7 shirt.

[Samuel]

Alejandro Garnacho (no. 49)

The youngster will eventually get a higher number in the squad and there are not many ‘glamorous’ shirts available but no.7 is one of them. Given that Cristiano Ronaldo is Garnacho’s idol, the Argentinian may want to stake the claim to the iconic shirt.

[Samuel]

Jadon Sancho (currently no.25)
The most logical heir to the iconic number seems to be Jadon Sancho. He used to wear no.7 at Dortmund and he seemed certain to pick that up upon joining Man United.

However, when he joined it was Edinson Cavani who wore it and then it logically transferred to Cristiano Ronaldo.

If finally Sancho gets his favoured number soon, this is what the shirt would look like.