Manchester United are seeking special dispensation from the Premier League to hand Cristiano Ronaldo the number seven jersey this season, despite having already awarded it to Edinson Cavani.
The 36-year-old has almost always worn the famous number seven since arriving in the Premier League back in 2003, only donning the number nine for a season at Real Madrid, due to the presence of club legend Raul.
Good morning, Reds ?#MUFC | @Cristiano pic.twitter.com/sXQV4bjW67
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) September 1, 2021
And Manchester Evening News reports that the Red Devils are keen for Ronaldo to reclaim the shirt he wore during his first stint at Old Trafford, and they have asked for the Premier League's permission to reallocate the jersey to the five-time Ballon d'Or winner.
Premier League rule M.4 states that: "While he remains with the club, a player will retain his shirt number throughout the season for which it was allocated," meaning that the number seven should remain with Cavani until next season.
Cavani, who wears '21' for Uruguay, could now be handed the same number at domestic level - should Man Utd be granted the special dispensation - following the departure of former owner Daniel James.
But the Uruguayan striker is currently unsettled in Manchester, after he was recently left unimpressed by his exclusion from the Man Utd squad to face Southampton. The 34-year-old is also unhappy that he was refused the chance to represent his country during the international break due to the red list rule.
So, the Red Devils may want to tread carefully when stripping the forward of the number seven jersey, and presenting it to their new arrival.
Ronaldo is synonymous with the number seven, and is known around the world as 'CR7.' Man Utd hope to appease the forward by handing him his favoured number, which would also benefit them in recreating an iconic shirt to sell to the general public.
Source: 90min
