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New Manchester United arrival Raphael Varane is all set to pick an unexpected shirt number. His preferred number 4 will not be passed down to the French international from current defender Phil Jones, according to Stretty News (via the Sports Bible).
Manchester United are close to completing the signing of Raphael Varane from Real Madrid for a fee of around £41 million. The deal has not yet been announced due to the Frenchman initially facing some visa issues and later having to quarantine in the UK. However, an official announcement is imminent.
Raphael Varane is synonymous with the number 4 he wears for France. The 28-year-old defender sported the numbers 2 and 5 whilst at Real Madrid. However, all of those numbers are currently occupied at Manchester United.
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This will force Varane to pick a number he has never taken before. There are few possible options for the Frenchman to consider. Varane can opt for the number 16 shirt, which has been made famous by the likes of Michael Carrick and Roy Keane. However, the number 16 is not exactly a number worn by a defender.
Another option at Varane's disposal is the number 12 which has been left vacant ever since Chris Smalling left Manchester United in the summer of 2019.
Also Read: David James' column - Ranking the 5 best goalkeepers in the Premier League right now
Manchester United have given an odd number to new signing Jadon Sancho
Jadon Sancho is another marquee arrival for Manchester United this summer. The English international joined the Red Devils from Borussia Dortmund for a fee of £73 million.
Despite being another big name arrival, Manchester United decided to give Sancho the number 25 shirt instead of more famous numbers like 7 or 17. The number 7 is currently sported by Edinson Cavani while the number 17 is worn by Fred.
Manchester United gave Sancho the number 25, which was previously worn by Odion Ighalo and Antonio Valencia.
Shirt numbers are an important part of a player's brand and identity at a new club. Despite Manchester United offering unexpected numbers to both Raphael Varane and Jadon Sancho, the pair have a chance to make those numbers iconic.
Also Read: Jim Beglin's column - Ranking the 5 greatest managers in Premier League history
