Transfer Centre

The shirt numbers available to Ousmane Dembele at Manchester United

By Barney Corkhill, Editor | 20 April 2020

Amid speculation linking Ousmane Dembele with Manchester United, Sports Mole looks at which shirt numbers could be available to the Barcelona man at Old Trafford.

Uncertainty continues to reign with regards to the impact the coronavirus lockdown will have on the transfer window, but it is widely accepted that mega-money deals will be much rarer for the foreseeable future.

Nonetheless, a number of blockbuster moves are still reportedly in the pipeline, and one rumour to have gathered pace in recent days is the prospect of Manchester United signing Barcelona's Ousmane Dembele.

Arsenal are also thought to be interested in the French winger, but United appear to be leading the race following reports that Dembele has been in contact with his compatriot Anthony Martial regarding a move to Old Trafford.

A mixture of form and fitness had seen Dembele's value decline even before the coronavirus pandemic took another chunk off transfer fees worldwide, meaning that he is likely to be available for significantly less than the £112.5m Barcelona paid to sign him just three years ago.

Here, Sports Mole looks at which shirt numbers could be available to Dembele if he makes the move to Manchester.

Ousmane Dembele in rare action for Barcelona in November 2019

On the face of it, Dembele's choice of number at United could be very straightforward - he currently wears the number 11 at Camp Nou and for France, a shirt which is vacant at Old Trafford after Anthony Martial switched to number nine.

It is a number which appears to have weighed heavily on his shoulders at Barcelona, though; Neymar was his immediate predecessor in the 11 jersey, which has also been worn by the likes of Rivaldo and Marc Overmars in the past.

The shirt carries even more significance in United's history books, with Ryan Giggs having owned it for the vast majority of his decorated career and George Best having also been a regular wearer.

Dembele's struggles at Barcelona could see him want to switch back to the number seven shirt he wore during happier days at Borussia Dortmund, although that of course holds even more historical weight than the number 11 at Old Trafford.

Best, Cristiano Ronaldo, David Beckham, Eric Cantona and Bryan Robson are among the towering figures from the club's past to have worn the iconic 'seven', although the more recent bearers have not quite lived up to their predecessors.

Alexis Sanchez - on loan at Inter Milan this season - is the current incumbent of the number seven, meaning that it will become available should the Chilean leave the club this summer, while fellow flops Memphis Depay and Angel Di Maria have also worn the shirt in recent years.

The only other shirt number Dembele has worn during his club career is the number 23 at Rennes, although his profile has soared since then and he is likely to command a number which reflects that should he arrive at Old Trafford, where Luke Shaw currently wears '23' anyway.