Matthijs de Ligt will block fellow new signing Manuel Ugarte from wearing his dream shirt number at Manchester United.
Ugarte, 23, is expected to complete his £50million move to Old Trafford before the summer transfer window slams shut at 11pm on Friday. The Paris Saint-Germain star has been United's first-choice target for a new defensive midfielder all summer and could be available to make his debut against Liverpool on Sunday.
But Ugarte won't be wearing the No.4 shirt like he did in Paris, as De Ligt took that following his £42m arrival from Bayern Munich earlier this month. The Uruguay international will instead need to opt for a number further down the list, not even the No.15 which he wore for Sporting Lisbon previously, as that belongs to another new United signing in Leny Yoro.
Ugarte spent two seasons with Sporting until 2023, as he made his name as one of Europe's most promising defensive midfielders. The 23-year-old joined the Lisbon giants from Famalicao, another team in the Portuguese top flight.
In his two years there, Ugarte opted to wear the No.8 shirt which at United is taken by captain Bruno Fernandes. Going back to the start, during his first four seasons of professional football with Uruguayan side Fenix, he wore the numbers 20 and 26, the latter of which is available at Old Trafford.
As for his international career, Ugarte now wears No.5, owned by Harry Maguire at United. His previous shirt numbers include 20, 6, 25, 15 and 17. All of those are currently taken within the Red Devils' squad, although 25 will become vacant if want-away Jadon Sancho completes a move to Chelsea or Juventus before the deadline.
No.13, usually reserved for goalkeepers, is also free at United alongside 19, having been vacated by Raphael Varane in June. Any number from 26 to 34 is available, as are 38, 40, 42, 45 and any from 47 upwards.
It's likely that Ugarte would be able to inherit the No.39 shirt, too, as Red Devils midfielder Scott McTominay is on the verge of leaving for Italian giants Napoli. The 27-year-old Scotland international is the subject of a £25m agreement between the two clubs and he's currently in Italy finalising the move to join Antonio Conte's side.
Zoheb7
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Me waiting for his pic in a Man Utd shirt