Manchester United have agreed a deal with Chelsea to sign midfielder Andrey Santos and he has some interesting squad numbers to choose from.
According to David Ornstein, Manchester United have struck a £48 million agreement with Chelsea to sign Andrey Santos.
The Brazilian midfielder has been given permission to travel to Manchester and complete a medical before finalising his move.
With United’s pre-season training set to begin on July 9, he could be thrown right into Michael Carrick’s squad, but first he will have to be assigned a squad number.
Man Utd have AGREED a deal to sign Andrey Santos for £48m + £2m add-ons: What is your INSTANT REACTION?
Who do you want Man Utd to sign NEXT?
What shirt number will Andrey Santos wear at Manchester United?
During his time at Chelsea, Santos wore the number 17 shirt, which is currently vacant at United after Alejandro Garnacho’s move to Stamford Bridge.
If the Brazilian wants to continue with that number, that is an obvious choice. But there are two other numbers that Santos may find tempting.
Firstly, the number 18 has just been vacated by Casemiro. Given Santos is also from Brazil and plays a similar position, he may want to follow in his compatriot’s footsteps and take Paul Scholes’ old number.
Santos has previously worn the number 18 at Strasbourg, too.
His favoured No.8 shirt is currently worn by club captain Bruno Fernandes.
Another option for Santos is to pick the vacant No.12 shirt, last worn by Tyrell Malacia before his contract expired in the summer. It is the lowest number currently available in the United squad other than the No.9.
Man Utd are looking at signing Andrey Santos from Chelsea… What is your verdict?
What is your advice to Ineos on the state of the transfer window so far?
I expect Andrey Santos to follow Casemiro and Paul Scholes
The number 18 is what I expect Santos to wear for United, with both Casemiro and Scholes bringing prestige to that jersey.
Considering that Santos is Casemiro’s replacement at Old Trafford, it is a number assignment that makes a lot of sense.
READ MORE: Andrey Santos’ best position and role for Man United has already been revealed by Enzo Maresca
It was also worn by Fernandes before his switch to being United’s No.8.
Santos is a well-rounded midfielder who is expected to be an option for Michael Carrick as one of the double-pivot midfielders in his 4-2-3-1 formation.
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