Rashford handed United's No.9 shirt as transfer uncertainty lingers over his future

Manchester United have confirmed Marcus Rashford will wear the No.9 shirt for the 2025-26 season, with the squad number formally submitted to the Premier League following his return to the club earlier this month.

Rashford first appeared in the shirt during a pre-season friendly against AC Milan last weekend, when United described the number as provisional. It is now official, filling the vacancy left by Rasmus Hojlund’s transfer to Napoli. Rashford’s previous No.10 shirt has since been taken by new signing Matheus Cunha.

The No.9 carries considerable weight at Old Trafford. In the Premier League era alone it has been worn by Andy Cole, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and Dimitar Berbatov, while Sir Bobby Charlton is among the legends who carried it before that. Hojlund held the number for just one full season before being moved on under Ruben Amorim.

Despite the shirt confirmation, Rashford’s long-term future at United remains unclear. The 27-year-old spent the second half of last season on loan — first at Aston Villa, then at Barcelona — after falling out of favour under Amorim. He has two years left on a contract worth £325,000 per week, and the summer transfer window has yet to close.

Interim manager Michael Carrick, who has worked with Rashford for much of his career, has been publicly positive about the forward’s reintegration into the squad.

“He’s a very good player, and I think if you’re going to have a career over 10 or 15 years, there’s going to be times when things go in a direction and maybe a different direction,” Carrick said. “There are ups and downs, and that doesn’t judge you as a one-off kind of judgment. It’s what happens over time, and now we’re in a positive place as a group, and Marcus can offer us so much. He has done, and he can do again, so in that respect, it’s quite exciting.”

Carrick also confirmed Rashford returned to Carrington at the same time as Kobbie Mainoo, with Lisandro Martinez arriving the following day. “He’s our player,” Carrick said. “He came in, he’s trained really well. I’ve known him a long time, so I don’t treat him any different to anybody else, but it’s been good to have him around the group again.”