Report: Rashford to Wear Manchester United's No. 9, Romano Deletes No. 14 Claim! Sesko Likely to Keep No. 30

Manchester United star Marcus Rashford sported the No. 9 jersey during the friendly against AC Milan, though the club emphasized it was merely a temporary arrangement with no final decision yet. Nevertheless, English media claim that the player personally asked for the No. 9 to demonstrate his elevated standing in the squad.

Fabrizio Romano, the Italian transfer specialist who first reported that Rashford would take the No. 14 shirt at Manchester United, has removed that report. The reason is that the club sees no need to assign a permanent number to Rashford during pre-season; they could instead register a different number with the Premier League this week.

One theory suggests that United wanted to give Rashford the No. 14 shirt, which he used during his loan spell at Barcelona, and which has been vacant since Christian Eriksen left upon contract expiry. However, Rashford himself desires the No. 9 to prove his importance to the team.

Andy Cole, a former Manchester United No. 9, backed Rashford, believing he still has much to offer the club. Cole said: "I'm one of Marcus's biggest fans. I think he's a superb player, and I hope he can replicate the form he showed at Barcelona last season. I'm really looking forward to it, and I only have praise for him."

Cole explained: "I watched a lot of his games last season, and I thought he performed really well—he seemed to have rediscovered his form. I'm one of his most loyal supporters, so I hope he can play brilliantly for United this season. He just needs to keep his head down, do what he does best, and keep it simple."

If Rashford takes the No. 9, then Benjamin Sesko, the striker who was previously thought to be a candidate for that number, will likely keep his No. 30 shirt. According to The Athletic, Sesko could have had the No. 9 last summer, but out of respect for Rasmus Højlund, who had not yet left, he chose his old number from RB Leipzig.

Sesko does not seem to have strong preferences regarding shirt numbers. He has never worn the No. 9 at senior level, having used No. 30 at both RB Leipzig and Red Bull Salzburg, and No. 21 during an earlier loan spell. For the Slovenian national team, he consistently wears No. 11. So, even if he misses out on the No. 9, it won't affect him much.

Romano had previously predicted that Sesko would become United's No. 9 for the new season, but he has also deleted that post. The club has so far only confirmed that goalkeeper Sena Ramen, who wore No. 31 last season, will replace Altay Bayındır (loaned to Celta Vigo) as the new No. 1.

The Premier League season kicks off this Friday, and United will soon announce the official squad numbers for the new campaign, after which everything will be finalized. According to regulations, once a player's number is registered, it cannot be changed unless the player is transferred. Back when Cristiano Ronaldo joined late in the summer window, United had already registered the No. 7 for Edinson Cavani, and special permission from the Premier League was needed for the Portuguese star to get his desired number.

Of course, shirt numbers are not hugely significant; they mainly serve as a marketing tool for jersey sales. If a player becomes overly fixated on a number, as Anthony Martial did when he was unhappy about being switched to No. 11, it shows a lack of maturity. French legend Zinedine Zidane never wore the No. 10 at club level, yet that didn't stop him from being the core of every team he played for.