Confirmed: Maguire's squad number with United
We can officially confirm that our new signing Harry Maguire will wear the no.5 shirt for Manchester United this season.
The defender was announced as our third summer signing on Monday, joining the club from Premier League side Leicester City.
Maguire wore the no.15 shirt during his two-year stint at the King Power Stadium, when the no.5 shirt was unavailable due to captain Wes Morgan occupying it.
Harry had previously worn no.5 at former clubs Hull City and Sheffield United, while he has tended to don the no.6 jersey for England.
The 26-year-old could be seen for the first time in his new United shirt during Sunday’s Premier League opener against Chelsea at Old Trafford.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will hopefully provide an update on Maguire's availability, in his pre-match press conference on Friday.
"He has composure and willingness on the ball, as well as the ability to drive out from the defence, which I feel is as good as anyone in the game right now."
Maguire is actually just the sixth player to hold the the no.5 shirt on a permanent basis for United, and the first since the 2017/18 campaign.
Check out all of his predecessors below…
Marcos Rojo: The Argentinian was given the shirt after he joined the Reds in 2014 from Sporting Lisbon, before it was changed to no.16 at the start of 2018/19. The 29-year-old has often worn that same number with his national team, including at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Rio Ferdinand: The centre-back wore the no.6 shirt during his first season at United, but decisively changed to no.5 from the start of the 2003/04 campaign and became synonymous with it throughout his glittering Old Trafford career. On Tuesday of this week, Ferdinand heaped praise on Maguire and backed him to become a success as a Red.
“Does he have things to work on? Of course, like everyone else!" wrote Rio. "After speaking to numerous people that know him, they all say what a level-headed, hard-working lad he is. He will give 110 per cent for his team, which he echoed when signing.
“I think something United have needed defensively in recent years is a big character who can take on the responsibility of leading from the back and, from what I’ve heard from people who know him well, they are confident that he will bring that to this football club.”
"After speaking to numerous people that know him, they all say what a level-headed, hard-working lad he is. He will give 110 per cent for his team."
Laurent Blanc: The iconic Frenchman was no.5 at United during his second season at United, in 2002/03, when he helped the Reds to win the Premier League title. A colossal defender and World Cup winner, Blanc had previously worn the no.6 shirt throughout his debut season at the club.
Ronny Johnsen: The Norwegian wore the jersey during our iconic Treble campaign in 1999, which was one of six seasons in which he held the squad number. During that time, played 150 games for the Reds and scored nine goals, before departing in 2002 to join Aston Villa.
Lee Sharpe: The popular Red was the first player to permanently hold the no.5 jersey, after squad numbers were introduced in the 1993/94 season. He wore it for three campaigns, until he left the club in 1996 to join Leeds.
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