Why Marcus Rashford’s New Man Utd Jersey Number for Preseason Is Misleading

Rashford’s No. 10 has already been taken, leaving the academy graduate with a potential return to a former digit.

Marcus Rashford made his first appearance in a Man Utd squad since 2024 against Milan. | Ash Donelon/Manchester United/Getty Images

Marcus Rashford was handed the No. 9 shirt on his first appearance in a matchday squad for Manchester United since 2024, but the club made it clear that the returning fan favorite was not wedded to this digit.

Rashford’s last appearance for United in any capacity came as an unused substitute against Newcastle United on Dec. 30, 2024. Ruben Amorim was the Red Devils boss who made such a fuss of freezing out the academy graduate, so it felt fitting that the Portuguese coach should be in charge of the AC Milan team which would serve as the opponents for Rashford’s unofficial return on Saturday.

As promised, Michael Carrick named his former teammate on the bench for the friendly in Poland. BBC Sport’s Simon Stone revealed that Rashford had been given the No. 9 for United’s final preseason fixture but echoed a sentiment the club were also keen to publicly stress: nothing has yet been decided.

“Squad numbers worn in preseason are provisional and yet to be finalized,” the club wrote on social media ahead of kickoff.

---

What Shirt Number Will Marcus Rashford Wear for Man Utd in the Premier League?

Marcus Rashford cannot reclaim his old jersey. | Zohaib Alam/MUFC/Manchester United/Getty Images

Rashford’s last appearance for United came with the No. 10 on his back, a special set of digits he had worn for seven consecutive seasons. As a kid who grew up idolizing Wayne Rooney, the club’s record scorer who wore the No. 10 shirt for the majority of his Old Trafford career, it was a memorable moment to earn that honor.

The exact opposite emotions may very well have been inspired when Rashford learned that Matheus Cunha had been given his jersey number while he was still at the club last summer. The England international would promptly join up with Barcelona and inherit the No. 14 shirt, which is what he was reportedly expected to wear for United this season.

That number has been vacated since Christian Eriksen’s exit in 2025, the same year that Rasmus Højlund gave up the No. 9.

Rashford isn’t exactly a stranger to that significant digit. The first England jersey he was ever given as a child by his uncle was a red Rooney No. 9 top. When he scored his first international goal for the Three Lions, he was wearing a red No. 9 shirt, this time with ‘Rashford’ on the back. The 28-year-old would also be given the No. 9 when he first left United for a half-season loan spell at Aston Villa in the second half of the 2024–25 campaign.

---

Available Man Utd Shirt Numbers

Number	Last Player to Wear It
9	Rasmus Højlund
14	Christian Eriksen
20	Diogo Dalot
21	Antony
24	André Onana
27	Wout Weghorst
28	Facundo Pellistri

---

The vacant No. 9 shirt Rashford has been temporarily handed could feasibly be taken up by United’s first-choice center forward Benjamin Šeško, who took on the No. 30 shirt when he signed for the club last summer at a time when that digit was taken.

Summer recruits Karl Darlow (12), Andrey Santos (17) and Youri Tielemans (18) have already been officially dished out their new permanent squad numbers, leaving several figures in the 20s free for Rashford should he turn down No. 9 and No. 14.

The club will definitively confirm every player’s squad number next week ahead of Rashford’s potential competitive return for United against Hull City on Saturday, Aug. 22.

---