MX23RW : Tuesday, April 30 07:57:39| >> :120:32109:32109:

The shirt numbers available to Ousmane Dembele at Manchester United

Amid speculation linking Ousmane Dembele with Manchester United, Sports Mole looks at which shirt numbers could be available to the Barcelona man at Old Trafford.

Uncertainty continues to reign with regards to the impact the coronavirus lockdown will have on the transfer window, but it is widely accepted that mega-money deals will be much rarer for the foreseeable future.

Nonetheless, a number of blockbuster moves are still reportedly in the pipeline, and one rumour to have gathered pace in recent days is the prospect of Manchester United signing Barcelona's Ousmane Dembele.

Arsenal are also thought to be interested in the French winger, but United appear to be leading the race following reports that Dembele has been in contact with his compatriot Anthony Martial regarding a move to Old Trafford.

A mixture of form and fitness had seen Dembele's value decline even before the coronavirus pandemic took another chunk off transfer fees worldwide, meaning that he is likely to be available for significantly less than the £112.5m Barcelona paid to sign him just three years ago.

Here, Sports Mole looks at which shirt numbers could be available to Dembele if he makes the move to Manchester.



Ousmane Dembele in rare action for Barcelona in November 2019© Reuters

On the face of it, Dembele's choice of number at United could be very straightforward - he currently wears the number 11 at Camp Nou and for France, a shirt which is vacant at Old Trafford after Anthony Martial switched to number nine.

It is a number which appears to have weighed heavily on his shoulders at Barcelona, though; Neymar was his immediate predecessor in the 11 jersey, which has also been worn by the likes of Rivaldo and Marc Overmars in the past.

The shirt carries even more significance in United's history books, with Ryan Giggs having owned it for the vast majority of his decorated career and George Best having also been a regular wearer.

Dembele's struggles at Barcelona could see him want to switch back to the number seven shirt he wore during happier days at Borussia Dortmund, although that of course holds even more historical weight than the number 11 at Old Trafford.

Best, Cristiano Ronaldo, David Beckham, Eric Cantona and Bryan Robson are among the towering figures from the club's past to have worn the iconic 'seven', although the more recent bearers have not quite lived up to their predecessors.

Alexis Sanchez - on loan at Inter Milan this season - is the current incumbent of the number seven, meaning that it will become available should the Chilean leave the club this summer, while fellow flops Memphis Depay and Angel Di Maria have also worn the shirt in recent years.

The only other shirt number Dembele has worn during his club career is the number 23 at Rennes, although his profile has soared since then and he is likely to command a number which reflects that should he arrive at Old Trafford, where Luke Shaw currently wears '23' anyway.

ID:397010: cacheID:397010:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:5623:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Borussia Dortmund's Jadon Sancho celebrates scoring their third goal which is later disallowed on February 8, 2020
Read Next:
The shirt numbers available to Jadon Sancho at Man Utd
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal35255585285780
2Manchester CityMan City34247382325079
3Liverpool35229477364175
4Aston Villa35207873522167
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs33186967521560
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd34166125251154
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle341651374551953
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham351310125665-949
9Chelsea33139116359448
10Bournemouth35139135260-848
11Wolverhampton WanderersWolves35137154855-746
12Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton341111125257-544
13Fulham35127165155-443
14Crystal Palace351010154557-1240
15Everton35128153748-1136
16Brentford3598185260-835
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3579194262-2026
18Luton TownLuton3567224877-2925
19Burnley3559213870-3224
RSheffield UnitedSheff Utd3537253497-6316


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!