Ten Hag could sanction Man Utd exit to hand Hojlund preferred shirt number
Rasmus Hojlund will soon be handed his official shirt number once his £72million transfer from Atalanta to Manchester United is confirmed.
Having landed in England on Tuesday, the Danish hotshot promptly completed the first part of his medical at United's Carrington training base. Hojlund, 20, arrives as the answer to Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag's prayers, having pleaded with his superiors to sign a striker during the summer transfer window.
Unfortunately for Hojlund, though, his hopes of taking an iconic shirt number at Old Trafford look likely to be quashed. With Mason Mount inheriting the historic No.7 shirt upon signing from Chelsea this summer, Anthony Martial still donning 9 and Marcus Rashford remaining No.10, the Denmark international may have to choose a less famous number.
Even the No.11 shirt - made famous by club legend Ryan Giggs - is still occupied by Mason Greenwood. The forward remains suspended by United, with the outcome of an internal investigation to decide his future, after the Crown Prosecution Service dropped attempted rape, assault and coercive control charges, set to announced in the next two weeks.
Having worn the No.45 and 28 during his early days as a senior player for native giants Copenhagen, Hojlund then moved to Austrian outfit Strum Graz and wore the No.9 shirt. That was until Atalanta snapped him up in a deal worth €17m (£14.6m) last summer and handed him the No.17.
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That was the same number which he wore within Copenhagen's academy alongside No.11 and 9. It likely holds sentimental value for Hojlund but United already have a No.17, Fred.
Rasmus Hojlund has worn No.17 for Atalanta and in Copenhagen's academy (Nicolò Campo/LightRocket via Getty Images)Have your say! Which number should Rasmus Hojlund choose? Let us know your pick in the comments section.
That could change soon, however, with the Brazilian midfielder missing the Red Devils' pre-season tour of the United States due to what the club described as a personal issue. Fred's absence came amid rumours of a move to Turkish giants Galatasaray, although they'll have to meet United's alleged £20m asking price.
Fulham have also been tagged with interest but the Premier League side aren't willing to cough up that amount of cash for a 30-year-old in the final 10 months of his contract. By shipping Fred out before the Red Devils' opening game of the season at home to Wolves on August 14, Ten Hag could hand Holjund the No.17.
But what if Fred stays? That'd leave 13 and 15 as the only double-digit numbers below 30 available, having last been worn by veteran goalkeeper Lee Grant and Bayern Munich loanee Marcel Sabitzer respectively.
Still, taking a rogue number shouldn't get Hojlund too down after completing a dream transfer. "It's a huge club, so I must have done something right if it says they want me," he recently declared. "My goal is to reach the top shelf, and you can say that Manchester United is."
Hojlund's available shirt numbers: 1, 4, 13, 15, 30, 31, 32, 35, 36, 38, 40, 41, 44, 45, 48, 50.
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