A summer of change and transformation lies ahead at Manchester United.
Erik ten Hag’s impending arrival at Old Trafford as the club’s new manager is set to signal the beginning of a new era and huge changes are to be expected. The first-team squad is in desperate need of an overhaul and new faces must be brought in.
A wealth of positions are in need of strengthening this summer and adding to the central-midfield department is set to rank highest on the club’s to-do list. It has been a weak spot for United throughout this season and the supporters are desperate to see improvements.
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West Ham United star Declan Rice has been heavily linked with a move to United in recent months but the London club’s valuation is likely to put United off. Instead, the club has turned to Kalvin Phillips of Leeds United and are understood to be working on a deal to bring him to Old Trafford.
It is not just Phillips that United are keeping an eye on, though. The Manchester Evening News understands that they’re weighing up a £75million move for Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong, meaning a reunion with Ten Hag could be on the cards this summer.
De Jong worked with Ten Hag at Ajax and developed into the player that he is today thanks to his fellow countryman’s coaching expertise. He is a highly-talented midfield operator and at 25 it is hoped that his best years remain ahead of him, meaning he could go from strength to strength at Old Trafford by being reunited with his former boss.
Although nothing is understood to be close concerning United and De Jong at this moment in time, the prospect of him joining the club this summer is bound to interest the supporters. He would be a big-name signing and you can guarantee that no shortage of fans would want his name on the back of their 2022-23 replica shirts.
To go alongside his name, some supporters would also be keen to sport his shirt number. But what shirt number would he claim if he was to join United?
(Image: Marc Gonzalez Aloma/Europa Press via Getty Images.)
Currently, the Netherlands international dons No.21 for Barcelona, which is the number he has worn throughout his senior career at club level. And he could continue that trend at United.
That is because striker Edinson Cavani is expected to leave Old Trafford when his contract expires at the end of next month. He currently owns the No.21 shirt and will vacate it when his deal runs out, freeing it up for a new signing to claim next season.
Therefore, should United reach an agreement with Barcelona and De Jong this summer, he could have a golden opportunity to sport his favourite shirt number at Old Trafford. Plenty of famous faces have worn the No.21 shirt at Old Trafford in the past, including Diego Forlan and Ander Herrera. Prior to Cavani wearing it, Daniel James sported it before joining Leeds United last summer.
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