Erm.. The Number 7 shirt..

Vivek92

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Becoming a bit of a "poisoned chalice" isn't it?

Surely the next time we assign it, we have to get it correct. Putting it on established stars hasn't worked.

I'd love to see us give it to Mason Greenwood personally. Youth product too. Beckham and Ronaldo got it when still wet behind the ears, and it worked okay.
Whoever ends up starting wide right should get it (unless James!). Worth mentioning though, Mason uses the hashtag #MG26 on social media so it seems like he might have ideas of branding that...
 

MancFanFromManc

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Random aside... Why do people care so much about who has what shirt number? It's literally just a number.
There's a lot of history with our no.7 shirt. There's a really good official video that's worth a watch. Best, Cantona, Robson, Ronaldo, Beckham - not many clubs can boast a list as good as that. Sancho could add his name to the "good" list
 

Annihilate Now!

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There's a lot of history with our no.7 shirt. There's a really good official video that's worth a watch. Best, Cantona, Robson, Ronaldo, Beckham - not many clubs can boast a list as good as that. Sancho could add his name to the "good" list
I get that... But its still just a shirt number at the end of the day. Cantona could have worn the number 9 shirt and he'd still have been amazing.

I wasn't just talking about the number 7 shirt though, I'm just talking in general. I mean I read someone say the main reason they Mata to leave is so Bruno can have the number 8 shirt... I mean if that's the main reason you want someone to leave then that's just bizarre to me
 

Mainoldo

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I think Bruno is the man for that shirt.
He’s a CM and not very iconic or charismatic. For what the shirt represents. Would rather it go to a future star like Sancho or Greenwood or a Rashford for instance.
 

Green_Red

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He’s a CM and not very iconic or charismatic. For what the shirt represents. Would rather it go to a future star like Sancho or Greenwood or a Rashford for instance.
Wasn't Robbo a CM? Keane was offered it before Beckham too.
 

MancFanFromManc

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I get that... But its still just a shirt number at the end of the day. Cantona could have worn the number 9 shirt and he'd still have been amazing.

I wasn't just talking about the number 7 shirt though, I'm just talking in general. I mean I read someone say the main reason they Mata to leave is so Bruno can have the number 8 shirt... I mean if that's the main reason you want someone to leave then that's just bizarre to me
Maybe its an age thing. To me, several of our numbers have become iconic, none more so than the No.7, its a special thing

There have been fall outs in the past over numbers, and I'm sure Mata wouldn't want to give up the No.8, but if it was for Bruno, I reckon he'd take another number rather than leave. Interesting dilemma though
 

Mainoldo

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Wasn't Robbo a CM? Keane was offered it before Beckham too.
He was. But Robbo was also our best player.

Don’t know how true that was. Sheringham request 10 so Beckham had to pick a new number. So unless he wanted 16. I don’t see why Keane would want to change his number.
 

DevilRed

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Maybe its an age thing. To me, several of our numbers have become iconic, none more so than the No.7, its a special thing

There have been fall outs in the past over numbers, and I'm sure Mata wouldn't want to give up the No.8, but if it was for Bruno, I reckon he'd take another number rather than leave. Interesting dilemma though
7 is definitely the most iconic number for us. Its been worn by arguably the best players to ever put on a red shirt. Cantona. Ronaldo. Best.

Then of course there is Beckham who was one of ours.
 

The Brown Bull

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In my opinion, and it's just an opinion, there's far too much store set in shirt numbers.
Seriously who gives a flying F what your shirt number is if you are doing the business on the pitch?
Not me anyway.
 

Thaila-X

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Give it Sancho (IF we sign him...) and let his football do the talking. Keep the marketing talk of 'new number 7' to an absolute minimum. There's plenty of pressure on Sancho already just in a footballing sense without factoring in off the pitch things like the fact he''s coming back to England, to the rivals of the club he left, Pep didn't rate him etc.
 

Chairman Steve

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I want it to go to Henderson purely just to see the shirt number OCDers have a nervous breakdown over it :lol:
 

Berbasbullet

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Can’t believe we don’t even have a number 7, I mean, who could we possibly have in mind for the shirt!
 

Silverman

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I want it to go to Henderson purely just to see the shirt number OCDers have a nervous breakdown over it :lol:
I know ya meant no harm but OCD is not an adjective. Its a debilitating mental disorder. Have to break the stigma.
 

Tony247

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If not Sancho then lingard should have it. That will boost his confidence then.
 

Jonty

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I get that... But its still just a shirt number at the end of the day. Cantona could have worn the number 9 shirt and he'd still have been amazing.

I wasn't just talking about the number 7 shirt though, I'm just talking in general. I mean I read someone say the main reason they Mata to leave is so Bruno can have the number 8 shirt... I mean if that's the main reason you want someone to leave then that's just bizarre to me
Seven is the number of completeness and perfection (both physical and spiritual). It derives much of its meaning from being tied directly to God’s creation of all things.

Give it to the new Duncan Edwards
 

Mr. MUJAC

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So he had it for a season and when we played in Europe and Eric couldn’t play because of EU ruling?

Just trying to make sense of it as Eric was our number 7 and Andrei was only here a year before he came.
No-one 'had' the #7 shirt before squad numbering. Although players had preferences and certain positions dictated numbering.

If you played on the right wing you wore that numbered shirt.

Generally for United though, Bryan Robson wore #7 in most of his games so Kanchelskis played right wing but often wore #5 or #8 or some other number. Kanchelskis wore #7 on his debut because Robson didn't play.

In 1991/92 Kanchelskis wore about five different numbers including #7

In 1992/93 Kanchelskis wore #7 pretty much exclusively up until Cantona arrived as Robbo wasn't playing much. Cantona then wore #7 unless Robbo was in the team when Eric would take another number.

In 1993/94 the Premier League introduced squad numbers so players kept the shirt numbers for the entire season regardless of position.

The whole #7 thing has been a hyped thing really since Eric retired and people started talking about a special shirt. Then looking back they saw Robbo, Coppell, Best etc wearing it and it made good marketing.

But given our players of the past you could do that with most numbers up to 11.
 

Mainoldo

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No-one 'had' the #7 shirt before squad numbering. Although players had preferences and certain positions dictated numbering.

If you played on the right wing you wore that numbered shirt.

Generally for United though, Bryan Robson wore #7 in most of his games so Kanchelskis played right wing but often wore #5 or #8 or some other number. Kanchelskis wore #7 on his debut because Robson didn't play.

In 1991/92 Kanchelskis wore about five different numbers including #7

In 1992/93 Kanchelskis wore #7 pretty much exclusively up until Cantona arrived as Robbo wasn't playing much. Cantona then wore #7 unless Robbo was in the team when Eric would take another number.

In 1993/94 the Premier League introduced squad numbers so players kept the shirt numbers for the entire season regardless of position.

The whole #7 thing has been a hyped thing really since Eric retired and people started talking about a special shirt. Then looking back they saw Robbo, Coppell, Best etc wearing it and it made good marketing.

But given our players of the past you could do that with most numbers up to 11.
Makes sense and alway backs my pet peeve of always claiming Best as the marquee association with that number. Especially when in 1993 he was interviewed bigging up Ryan Giggs and claiming he also wears “his number” obviously being 11.
 

Statue of Limitations

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I think we are romanticising it a bit.
If Sancho (e.g.) comes in I don't care if he wears #69 or whatever as long as he is someone who can fill a much needed hole for us.
 

altodevil

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I think with what Cavani did for us last season it is only fair for him to keep it on. If it comes down to it, and Ronaldo needs it to sign, he should move on. We aren't that kind of club.