Cristiano Ronaldo reclaims Manchester United’s No 7 shirt from Edinson Cavani

Manchester United have confirmed returning signing Cristiano Ronaldo will wear the No 7 shirt. The Portuguese forward wore the iconic digit during his first spell at Old Trafford, becoming tied to the figure.

Striker Edinson Cavani has offered to vacate the shirt number, and will now wear 21 on the back of his shirt, the same as he uses for Uruguay. Cavani was in the No 7 when he came off the bench in the 1-0 win over Wolves at the weekend. Premier League rules stipulate any mid-season change of number requires the club to provide replacements to any fans who have paid to have the name and number of the previous occupant on their back.

The No 7 is an iconic one at United, with the likes of George Best, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona and David Beckham all having it adorn their shirts down the years. Ronaldo took hold of the number following Beckham’s departure, making it his own between 2003 and 2009.

Ronaldo is back at United 12 years after leaving, having completed a move from Juventus this summer and signing a two-year deal in the Premier League.