The first question Manchester United supporters usually want answered following a signing is: 'What shirt number will he wear?'
Romelu Lukaku's candid chat with ESPN before United confirmed his signature was instigated by his own camp, conscious of enhancing the Belgian's commercial cachet in the American market (a strategy which was repeated with his Mino Raiola stablemate Zlatan Ibrahimovic this week). Revealing a squad number enhances a player's brand and makes them instantly recognisable. Lukaku's chant goes: 'Man United's number nine, Romelu Lukaku'.
Ibrahimovic lasted seven games as United's imperfect 10, the shortest stint since squad numbers became fixed in 1993. He will prefer to remember his number nine season at United and so will supporters.
Now Ibrahimovic has departed, attention will switch to whom will inherit the number 10. It was unoccupied for a season following Mark Hughes's 1995 move to Chelsea until David Beckham wore it with distinction in 1996-97. So did his successors Teddy Sheringham, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Wayne Rooney.
Squad number announcements are sometimes confirmed as late as August, which only fuels the rumourmongers. MUTV presenters and the United Twitter account was at pains to stress any training numbers spotted during their first pre-season session at UCLA were not confirmation of a player's squad number for the forthcoming campaign. They were.
Victor Lindelof had sported two and Andreas Pereira had 15 emblazoned on his training gear that week. Swedish newspapers were already reacting enthusiastically to the prospect of Lindelof taking the number popularised by Gary Neville before United's tweet.
The Old Trafford Megastore refused to print 'Pogba 6' shirts after United announced their provisional 2016 squad number list and left the six vacant for their returning midfielder. It did not stop some Reds from wearing their new Adidas United Pogba shirts on Wembley Way ahead of the Community Shield. Hours later, United confirmed Pogba would be back.
United are partly responsible for their supporters' fascination with squad numbers. MUTV have produced a documentary on the 'magnificent sevens' and in 2001 the club magazine published a supplement dedicated to Best, Robson, Cantona, Beckham et al. Eleven years ago, United organised a special photoshoot with Denis Law and Rooney as he received the number 10 after three years with eight on his back.
in the post-Cristiano Ronaldo era, the seven has become as dreaded as John Doe's killing spree. Michael Owen, Antonio Valencia, Memphis and Angel di Maria flunked with it stitched to their shirts and Alexis Sanchez has had an inauspicious start.
That Memphis was the Premier League's biggest-selling name in 2015 had more to do with the number than the name and United deliberately waited to allocate the seven to a marquee name. Ivan Perisic is not as marketable as the coveted Memphis was or Angel di Maria, and would have likely donned his favoured 44 had he arrived in the summer.
Jose Mourinho is believed to mull over squad numbers fastidiously and it was a reflection of Adnan Januzaj's peripheral status that he was bumped down to 15 ahead of his final year while Guillermo Varela and James Wilson lost theirs. The trio have never played for Mourinho's United.
An M.E.N. Facebook post inviting fans to suggest who should replace Rooney actually featured responses imploring United to retire the number, a gesture common in Italy. United have never done that and nor should they. The No.10 is not as fabled as the seven at United but it maybe the most iconic number in world football and is synonymous with maybe the game's greatest in Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi.
Ibrahimovic was a worthy recipient, albeit a short-term one. Paul Pogba started his Juventus career with six and ended it with 10, something which might not chime with purists baffled by Eric Bailly - a centre-back - getting a left-back's number. Ten was befitting for Rooney, a true playmaker in 2007, whereas Pogba's stints in the hole at Anfield and Stamford Bridge last season were chastening and there were times where player and club seemed more intent on making him a brand than a world-class footballer. He is not worthy of the 10 on current form.
Perhaps Mourinho should take a leaf out of Sir Alex Ferguson's book. Beckham and Rooney received the 10 because it was possible they would wear it for 10 years and a long-term candidate is Marcus Rashford, who United should not pigeon-hole as just a winger. Rashford, still only 20, has played at 10 for United's junior teams and Mourinho's insistence there will be no attacking additions in the summer is a show of faith in the resurgent Rashford.
It would also be another show of Mourinho's faith in the United academy, having previously rewarded Rashford, Jesse Lingard and Timothy Fosu-Mensah with new squad numbers and promoted Scott McTominay. Rashford was once told by his former academy coach Paul McGuinness he needed to be more like Ruud van Nistelrooy and this might be his chance.
It would answer the question
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