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Man Utd confirm Joshua Zirkzee's shirt number

Manchester United have confirmed that new signing Joshua Zirkzee will wear the club's number 11 shirt, which was recently vacated by Rasmus Hojlund.

Zirkzee completed a £36.5m move from Bologna in mid-July, helping the Serie A side qualify for the Champions League with a top-five finish.

He wore both the 9 and 11 during his two years at Bologna and insisted he didn't care about the shirt he was handed at Old Trafford when it became apparent Hojlund might switch.

Hojlund wore 11 for United last season following his £72m move from Atalanta. But the departure of Anthony Martial at the end of his contract freed up the number 9 shirt for the first time in several years and the Dane, having already taken it at world level, saw his chance.

Once Hojlund's shirt was cut off, it seemed obvious what Zirkzee would do.

The Dutchman, who started his senior career at Bayern Munich, is now the latest number 11 at Manchester United. In the past it was worn by a number of legends, including Sir Bobby Charlton, George Best and Denis Law, although all three are better known for other shirts.

Ryan Giggs broke 11 records on his back from the early 1990s until his retirement in 2014. But Adnan Januzaj, just 19 when he got the shirt and Anthony Martial, who didn't want one after being sacked from his beloved No.9, saw little success.

Zirkzee missed United's summer tour of the United States after reaching the Euro 2024 semi-finals against the Netherlands. But he is in full training with his new team-mates and could make his FA Community Shield debut on Saturday against Manchester City.

The 23-year-old Dutchman was expected to act as a complementary addition to United up front this season, but could now find himself leading the line in the opening weeks of the campaign. Hojlund picked up a hamstring problem in the pre-season friendly against Arsenal and is expected to be out until after the September international break.

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