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Manchester United revealed their new number 10 for the upcoming season during their final preseason warm-up match against Bayern Munich last night. Marcus Rashford took to the field in the iconic jersey during United's 1-0 loss to the German champions. After the match, the 20-year-old England international confirmed on social media that he would wear the number 10 shirt for the upcoming season.
The Iconic Number 10 Jersey
The number 10 jersey, which has been vacant since the departure of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, has a history of great names attached to it. The most famous name in recent memory to wear the shirt was Wayne Rooney who spent 13 years at Old Trafford becoming United's all-time top goalscorer in the process.
Other stars to wear the number 10 include Ruud van Nistelrooy who bagged an astonishing 150 goals in less than 220 appearances for the Red Devils, Mark Hughes who was a member of the first great team Sir Alex Ferguson built in the early 1990s, and Norman Whiteside who is remembered as a legend at Old Trafford.
What It Means
The revelation that Rashford will now follow in the footsteps of these great players bodes well for his future at Old Trafford. Mourinho is notoriously picky about choosing which shirt numbers players wear and by handing Rashford the number 10 jersey it may indicate he is planning a bigger role for the forward this season.
Since the 20-year-old burst onto the scene in 2015, he has become one of the most highly-rated young players in the world. His pace, skill and sublime finishing have ensured Rashford has remained in contention for the United first team over the last three seasons.
However, many Red Devil fans have been calling for him to play more often and his new squad number could indicate those calls have been heeded. While he has been used out wide over the past season, number 10s generally play in behind the main striker and his inheritance of this shirt may indicate a more central role for Rashford this coming season.
Social Media Reaction
Rashford took to Twitter shortly after the final whistle against Bayern Munich to announce he would wear the number 10 jersey for the upcoming season.
His announcement was greeted with euphoria by Manchester United fans worldwide who uniformly agreed that the 20-year-old has earned the right to wear the famous shirt.
