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A flawless stayManchester United officially welcomed Daniel James to Old Trafford this week after the Wales international fast completed a £ 18m transfer from Swansea.
James signed an agreement on a five-year contract until 2024, with the possibility of extending for a year, and seemed really pleased to have signed for the twenty-time English champions, describing him as "one of the best days of my life" and an "incredibly proud moment".
I am very proud to join the biggest football club in the world. This is an exciting new chapter in my life and I can not wait to get started. Thank you to everyone who trusted me. Hard work begins now! ?⚪⚫ @Man Utd #MUFC pic.twitter.com/SRHdNpvLLI
– Daniel James (@ Daniel_James_97) June 12, 2019
The club and fans hope that this joy and pride will translate into determination and hard work when the pre-season starts in just fifteen days. Lord knows that United needs hungry players to erase memories of what has become a 2018/19 shambolic campaign.
James will join his new teammates as the team prepares for the pre-season and will be on the plane for Australia in early July, while United is preparing seriously.
But a question that is still popular among fans remains unanswered.
What James shirt number will he wear for United?
There are a handful of existing options and one or two other options that might be available if some players leave the club before the start of next season. At this point, it is perhaps relevant to point out that the numbers are not blocked before the Premier League. August deadline, which means James could wear a pre-season shirt and change it later.
James wore 20 for Swansea and also for Wales this week, but this number is currently occupied in United by rising star Diogo Dalot.
In the current state of affairs, the shirts available at United are 5, 19, 21, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 and other higher numbers. The number five is not particularly plausible given James' position on the field, while fans hope to see him saved for a new central defender.
The jersey is empty since Marcus Rashford traded it for last summer, while 21 and 25 are free because of the departures of Ander Herrera and Antonio Valencia, respectively.
Other numbers aged 20 to 30, with the exception of Nemanja Matic's 31, are all viable.
It depends on where James sees himself in the first team picture. Generally, the lower the number, the more a player is established, unless he has a personal connection with a particular jersey.
United's number seven jersey could still be available this summer if Alexis Sanchez has to leave the club – where there is still more to say – although it may be too much pressure too early for a young man already carrying the weight of many fans.
A viral statistic has once again made the rounds of social media this week, pointing out that since Cristiano Ronaldo left Old Trafford in 2009, players wearing the number seven jersey of the United States have scored only 15 goals in the Premier League , a shocking average of 1.5 per season.
The other jerseys that could become available if the existing players leave are 8 (Juan Mata has seen a new deal proposed but has not signed yet), 16 (Marcos Rojo is arguably the fifth or even the sixth choice from the back center of the club) and 17 (Fred was linked to Roma this week).
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