Rashford handed No.9 shirt at Man United as Carrick signals key role for returning forward

Marcus Rashford has been assigned the No.9 shirt at Manchester United for the 2026-27 Premier League season, with the number confirmed ahead of the club’s opening fixture away to newly promoted Hull on Saturday. The forward returned to Old Trafford this summer after a season-long loan at Barcelona, having lost his previous No.10 shirt to Matheus Cunha last year when his future at the club appeared to be over.

Barcelona held an option to sign Rashford permanently for £26 million but chose not to exercise it. United subsequently placed a £40 million price tag on the 27-year-old, yet no buyer came forward, leaving him to return to his boyhood club under new manager Michael Carrick.

The allocation of the iconic No.9 shirt is widely seen as a signal that United intend to build around Rashford rather than move him on. Academy prospects Shea Lacey and JJ Gabriel have been handed the No.31 and No.77 shirts respectively.

Carrick has been effusive in his assessment of Rashford’s pre-season form. “It’s been pretty obvious since Marcus came back training with Kobbie [Mainoo] and Licha [Lisandro Martinez] pretty much, in Dublin, that he’s come back fantastically well,” the United manager said. “He’s enjoying his football, he looks fit, he looks sharp, he looks strong, he looks ready to play football. So, I’ve been delighted with him since he’s come back.”

Asked whether Rashford, predominantly a wide forward, could be deployed as a central striker, Carrick was open to the idea. “Of course he can play through in the middle. He has done,” he said. “I wouldn’t say it’s naturally his No.1 position, but he can do that, and I think we’ve got forwards that give us that flexibility right across the frontline.”

Carrick also drew a historical parallel to contextualise Rashford’s recent difficulties, invoking Ryan Giggs as an example of a United great who navigated difficult periods before flourishing. “He has had such a good career and people judge things and always expect the best out of everyone all the time, but some of the greatest players that played alongside me here had ups and downs throughout their career,” Carrick said. “I remember Giggsy had some challenging times on the pitch during his twenties and that’s just part of the game.”