Speculation on Garnacho becoming the new number 7 at United comes to a halt after new signing Mason Mount is given the iconic number.
Not even an hour after officially announcing Mason Mount, United also announced that he would be our new number 7 for next season.
After multiple weeks of speculation and hints from Garnacho, the 7 shirt seemed to be stripped away from him to be given to the new signing.
Whether the club seriously thought Garnacho could be the new 7 will remain unknown however it looks like media speculation blew it out of proportion.
Garnacho’s hints towards No.7 shirt
United’s star boy recently hit 7 million followers on Instagram earlier this week; consequently he released a photo on his Instagram story where he is wearing the unrealised United away kit with the number 7 on the back with text saying “thank you all”.
Going further than that Garnacho recently turned 19. Photographs of the Argentinians birthday cake raised further suspicion as the centrepiece was a large 7. Without any other context it has many fans believing this is just Alejandro dropping hints towards what number will be on the back of his shirt next season.
After United’s Unveiling stunt of the home shirt at Glastonbury when Aitch “leaked” the home strip on stage, it seemed that Garnacho’s actions over social media may have been another ploy by the club to raise anticipation before the official reveal of his shirt number.
Fans are now left to wonder why Garnacho dropped multiple hints towards the new No.7 shirt number if it was always going to be Mounts.
Was Garnacho ready for the No.7 shirt
There is no denying the responsibility of the No.7 shirt. With it will come high media pressure and attention and with Garnacho’s age there are questions if he is ready to be thrown into that situation.
Breaking through last season Garnacho showed his qualities scoring key goals through the whole season. His dribbling ability is certainly reminiscent of a classic United 7. He is definitively one of the most exciting names in the squad next season and there is no doubt that the whole fan-base will be behind him.
Every mistake that he makes next season will have been watched closely and the media would have been quick to jump on his back if he was given the shirt. The pressure would of been high however beyond doubt he has the ability to prove why he deserves the iconic number.
Although he is still a young player, what Garnacho represents would have made an historical 7. From winning the FA youth cup with Man United’s youth team to potentially being the No.7 for over a decade, figure heading the club under its new ownership.
Garnacho is set to become one of the best players of his generation. With a skilful dribbling set and the pace to beat most defenders he is a handful to deal with. Match that with his eye for goal, what Ten Hag could do with Garnacho draws parallels to Sir Alex and Ronaldo.
It is important to protect and nurture young talent and this decision by Manchester United does ensure that. Putting Garnacho in the 7 shirt could have potentially damaged his career as it puts masses amounts of pressure on him to perform.
What it means to be a No.7
The iconic shirt number has been sported by many of United greats over the years. It is not only a shirt number, it is engraved into United’s DNA. It resembles the legends of the past and is a shirt that shows creativity and intellect.
Football history is something that is threaded into Manchester United and the No.7 shirt is no different. David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, Eric Cantona, Bryan Robson and George Best are only some of the iconic names that are in the lineage of the No.7 shirt.
Wearing such a shirt comes with responsibilities. A player should be creative and have the ability to captivate Old Trafford. A No.7 is a figurehead in the squad, it takes a standout player to bear the weight of the shirt.
When done correctly a player in the number 7 shirt becomes a legend of club, no player has done this quite like Ronaldo. CR7 built his brand off the back of being given the iconic number at Manchester United and ever since became one of the greatest players ever to play the game.
Not all No.7 go to plan. Angel Di Maria landed at Old Trafford on a big money move from Real Madrid in 2014, Only 32 appearances later he had left to PSG after a disappointing season. Upon departure Di Maria slammed the legacy of the shirt stating he “didn’t give a f*ck about the Manchester United No.7” in an interview with TyC Sports.
What to expect after the No.7 shirt given to Mount
Since the announcement there is a largely mixed response with many fans outraged that Mount has been given such a historical shirt.
We have seen new signings like Di Maria and Sanchez both come in with the 7 shirt and fail. There is no guarantee how Mount will react to the added pressure however the recent run of number 7’s have all struggled to succeed.
United are showing a large amount of faith in Mount which is definitely a positive. He still has a large potential to do well at United and if he does so he will earn the respect of many people doing it in such an iconic shirt.
