The transfer window is now firmly in the rearview mirror and Manchester United’s latest arrival in the window has a confirmed place now.
Manuel Ugarte’s arrival from Paris was confirmed on deadline day so he won’t be able to feature against Liverpool.
However, he was still to be given a squad number with not many available as United had signed four players before him.
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Most of the “prestigious” lower numbers that indicate a higher squad hierarchy were already taken, apart from No. 13, which usually goes to the reserve goalkeeper.
Therefore, United had to give Ugarte a high number and they’ve sent a final Jadon Sancho message in doing so.
Manuel Ugarte’s squad number
Manchester United have confirmed that Manuel Ugarte will wear the No 25 this season, a number he has never worn before for any club. He has only worn it for Uruguay in the 2021/22 season.
This number recently became free at the club after the departure of Jadon Sancho, who wore it since his arrival in 2021 since Cristiano Ronaldo had the No. 7 then.
Thus, 25 was looked at as some sort of a compromise by many fans since the digits of 25 add up to seven as well.
Of course, Sancho moved to Chelsea on deadline day on a loan with an obligation to buy so that number became free.
United moved quickly and instantly reassigned it to their new arrival from Uruguay, sending the final message and drawing a curtain on Sancho’s time at the club.
Not many tears will be shed and on a side note, Ugarte will have a pretty low bar to clear when it comes to living up to the legacy of this number.
Manchester United No. 25 history
Unlike numbers like 11, 10, or 7, No. 25 doesn’t have a long and cherished history at Old Trafford.
Some of the big names to have adorned this number are Antonio Valencia, Quinton Fortune, Jordi Cruyff, and Danny Simpson.
Sancho, as said above, was the most recent recipient of this number so Ugarte takes this jersey with barely any pressure of the number over him.
That is good news since United fans have become all too used to seeing players wilting under the pressure of, say, the No. 7 jersey.
Mason Mount is the current holder of the number and countless words have already been written about his miserable time at the club so far.
Ugarte, then, can get on with doing what he does best- winning the ball back and being a nuisance for the opposition without a care of the names he will have to live up to due to his number.
If Sancho’s time at the club was any indication, just staying silent after getting dropped from a matchday squad will put Ugarte above him!
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