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<\/p>\nOne of Man Utd’s most famous shirt numbers has become available for selection by a squad member next season.<\/p>\n
Hojlund wore the No.9 at United.<\/p>\n
Manchester United’s No.9 shirt has become available for next season following Rasmus Hojlund’s transfer to Napoli. Hojlund spent the season on loan with Napoli, and his move was made permanent when they secured Champions League<\/a> football.<\/p>\n Hojlund wore the No.11 shirt during his debut season at Old Trafford<\/a> and claimed the No.9 when Anthony Martial departed in 2024. The Denmark international wore the No.9 for just one full season before being axed by Ruben Amorim.<\/p>\n United’s sale of Hojlund for \u00a338million means the No.9 shirt can be claimed. The logical candidate to take the shirt number would be Benjamin Sesko, who is the senior striker in United’s dressing room.<\/p>\n Click here<\/a> to find out the latest Manchester United news in our daily newsletter<\/p>\n However, Sesko currently wears the No.30 shirt, which Diego Leon passed on to him after his arrival last summer. Sesko previously had the No.21 shirt for loan club FC Liefering, and wears No.11 for Slovenia’s national side.<\/p>\n When Hojlund claimed the No.9 shirt two years ago, United confirmed it was the most bought replica shirt by supporters, but the striker struggled in his second season at the club, scoring just four league goals.<\/p>\n The likes of Andy Cole, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Dimitar Berbatov have worn the No.9 shirt for United in the Premier League<\/a> era, with Sir Bobby Charlton among the legends to have worn it before then.<\/p>\n Napoli paid a \u00a35.2m loan fee to sign Hojlund this season, and United avoided a loss on the forward under the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR) by banking \u00a338m from his permanent sale.<\/p>\n Speaking in March, Hojlund reflected on his departure from United, saying in an interview with TV2: \u201cI got what I wanted with my transfer. I got a team that believes in me a lot. A club that believes in me a lot. A sporting director, a president and a coach who wants me.<\/p>\n “It felt like it was over for me at one point [at United]. Here at Napoli, I\u2019ve rediscovered my love for football. People even back in Denmark were writing me off, but I never stopped believing.”<\/p>\n He continued: \u201cI was put in a bit of a box at the end in Manchester. I knew there wouldn\u2019t be much football for me if it continued like this. I was happy to play football in Manchester. I know that, especially in Denmark, a media image was formed that it was all just s*** and terrible, and that I played like a bag of nuts, but that\u2019s not how I look at it.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s hard not to be on your phone. And if you are on your phone, you\u2019re bound to see what\u2019s being written about you in some way. It can be all sorts of places these days, but often because you\u2019re tagged on your Instagram or Facebook. So I would say it would be a lie for me to claim that you don\u2019t get to read it.<\/p>\n “It\u2019s clear that there is also a difference between Napoli and Manchester United<\/a>, especially in Denmark. But I have to live with the headlines \u2013 they will always be there because someone wants to use me as an eye-catcher.\u201d<\/p>\n Hojlund left United with a record of 26 goals in 96 appearances.<\/p>\n Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix and Disney+ with Ultimate TV package<\/p>\n
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