Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho will wear a new squad number for the rest of the 2023/24 season, according to his brother, who has posted pictures of 'AG17' on social media.
The highly-rated teenager, who joined United's youth team from Atletico Madrid in 2020, has worn the 49 shirt since making his senior debut in their 1-1 draw against Chelsea last year.
He flourished under the guidance of Erik ten Hag last season and as a result, the Argentine was linked with the iconic number seven shirt following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Mason Mount, a £55 million signing from Chelsea, was eventually given that privilege in July but it appears Garnacho will be handed another shirt number worn by Ronaldo during his career.
Alejandro's brother, Roberto, posted a picture of his sibling wearing the number 17 shirt on Thursday evening alongside the caption: "AG17 [star emoji]".It was widely believed that United's big-money signing Rasmus Hojlund would get the number 17 shirt following the departure of Fred, who has joined Turkish side Fenerbahce.
However, it looks like Hojlund could well get the number 11 after previous occupier Mason Greenwood left Old Trafford in August following a six-month investigation into his conduct.
It was thought for some time that Garnacho would inherit the number seven jersey – and we know the 18-year-old certainly has enough self-confidence to flourish under the pressure.
In fact, back in April, he hinted that he would take the shirt number by 'liking' a post on Twitter that read: "Give Garnacho the 7 shirt.”Fans even thought that Manchester United had dropped a cheeky suggestion about Garnacho's next squad number, when they sent out a mobile push notification to their fan base alongside the caption: "If you're a true fan of Alejandro, then you'll score at least seven out of 10 [wink emoji]."
Some fans were positive about the prospect of Garnacho getting the number.
One said: "Genuinely the only one in the club I can see thriving with it," while another said: "Yes, the boy was born to wear it."
A third added: "Yes. Definitely. I don’t know any other player who deserves it more than him."
Others, however, were unconvinced, with mentions of added pressure and not being a regular starter in Erik ten Hag's first-team plans featuring in many people's reasoning.
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