“He told me he was sad the day he knew we weren’t going to keep playing together” – Mata reacts hilariously as Bruno Fernandes takes his old Manchester United shirt number

Juan Mata jokingly stated that Bruno Fernandes was "happy" with his departure from Manchester United as the Portuguese now gets to wear his shirt number.

Mata left the Old Trafford side on a free transfer this summer after the expiration of his contract, bringing an eight-and-a-half-year long spell to a close.

His number 8 shirt will now be worn by Fernandes, who'd previously donned 18 since joining the Red Devils from Sporting CP in January 2020.

A number of players like Wayne Rooney, Paul Ince, Nicky Butt and Anderson have worn it in the past, and that represents Fernandes' birthday too.

The midfielder was born on 8 September, 1994. He wore a shirt of the same number during his spells at Udinese and Sporting Lisbon, and currently wears it for Portugal's national team too.

The recent shirt-swapping has stirred up banter among some of Manchester United's players. David de Gea asked Mata for his thoughts on Fernandes inheriting his jersey number.

Mata then responded with a quote tweet, saying (via Daily Mirror):

“He told me he was sad the day he knew we weren't going to keep playing together... but I think he was quite happy @B_Fernandes8 #Number8"

He also added a laughing face emoji, a long nose emoji, and a shrug emoji before the tags.

In another change, new arrival Tyrell Malacia has been given the number 12 shirt, which was previously worn by Chris Smalling.

Fernandes and Malacia will get the chance to wear their new squad numbers during Manchester United's pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia this month. They will start their pre-season on Tuesday, July 12 against Liverpool.

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Manchester United struggling to make new signings

Manchester United have seen quite a few changes in the summer thus far. Erik ten Hag has officially taken charge and a handful of senior players like Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic have departed.

The only thing they've failed to do is sign players.

While Malacia's transfer from Feyenoord has been confirmed, the Red Devils have been touted to make a slew of marquee acquisitions. This hasn't happened yet despite being linked with numerous players.

This has not only made the fans anxious, but also worried Cristiano Ronaldo, who's requested that the club let him go if a suitable offer arrives (via The Times).

His potential departure will be another blow to the side in their rebuilding project even as their pre-season campaign is about to start.