Amrabat picks 'cursed' shirt number as Man Utd signing suffers early setback
New Manchester United signing Sofyan Amrabat will be fighting against history at Old Trafford, having been handed the 'cursed' No.4 shirt.
Amrabat joined the Red Devils on deadline day, in a season-long loan move from Fiorentina. Boss Erik ten Hag had been pursuing the midfielder for much of the summer, though he will have to wait to see him in action until after the international break.
While Amrabat finally did get his move to United, the Moroccan has been handed an immediate hill to climb. That is because United have confirmed that he will wear the No.4 shirt during his time in Manchester.
"Sofyan Amrabat's shirt number at Manchester United can now be confirmed, following the completion of his loan move from Fiorentina. The Morocco midfielder followed Altay Bayindir, Jonny Evans and Sergio Reguilon in signing for the Reds last Friday, ahead of the deadline, during a busy day on the transfer front," a statement from the Red Devils read.
"Now that the formalities have been finalised, we can announce that Amrabat will wear the no.4 shirt at United. Our no.4 shirt was most recently worn by Phil Jones, who left the club this summer when his contract expired."
Marcel Sabitzer completes Man Utd transfer after last-minute deadline day dash
As the statement mentions, the shirt number does not have a good recent history. Jones was its last occupant, taking it on after his arrival from Blackburn Rovers in the summer of 2011.
HAVE YOUR SAY! How would you rate Manchester United's summer transfer window? Comment below.
Sofyan Amrabat will wear the No.4 shirt at Manchester United (Manchester United/Manchester United via Getty Images))But the Englishman had a torrid end to his United career, spending 20 months ruled out through injury. He missed the entirety of Ten Hag's debut campaign as manager, before being released in May.
Jones is not the only one to struggle wearing the jersey, with its previous owner Owen Hargreaves enduring a dreadful time at Old Trafford. Following an encouraging debut season, the midfielder would be plagued by injury.
In fact, the Englishman made just five appearances in all competitions during his final three years with United. Looking further back, Juan Sebastian Veron was handed the No.4 shirt when he arrived in 2001.
While his time at Old Trafford started well, he quickly fell off the pace and was sold to Chelsea just two years after his arrival. Amrabat has already been hit by injury trouble since completing his move.
According to The Athletic, United medics discovered the midfielder is suffering from a slight back injury as he underwent his medical last week. There is no suggestion that it is a serious problem so the move was pushed through.
The Red Devils will hope he returns to fitness in time for their first game back against Brighton. And Amrabat will hope he can channel the success of legendary United skipper Steve Bruce, who wore the No.4 shirt, rather than its recent class of unfortunate owners.
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
