What will Cristiano Ronaldo's Man Utd shirt number be?

Cristiano Ronaldo has now made a sensational return to his former home of Old Trafford, having signed for Manchester United for an initial £13 million (€15m/$18m) fee with add-ons of up to £7m (€8m/$9m). 

The striker had informed Juventus coach Max Allegri of his desire to leave Serie A for opportunities elsewhere, and while Manchester City seemed to be the favourites to sign him, it was Man Utd who won the race.

Ronaldo is famed for his relationship with the number seven, but what shirt will he wear at Manchester United? Goal takes a look at the possibilities, the options available as well as Ronaldo's squad number history.

What shirt number will Cristiano Ronaldo wear at Man Utd?

It has not yet been confirmed which number Ronaldo will wear at Man Utd.

Ronaldo has long been synonymous with the number seven and has even built his entire brand under the 'CR7' name

Currently, the number seven at Manchester United – which Ronaldo has previously worn during his first spell – is being occupied by Edinson Cavani.

The issue would be resolved should Cavani end up leaving Man Utd this window, but Goal can confirm that the Uruguay international's future is still firmly in Manchester.

Ronaldo would likely not be happy to wear a number that isn't seven, a number that has also been worn by United club legends such as David Beckham, George Best, Denis Law, Eric Cantona and Bryan Robson.

But for now, the number is currently unavailable to the Portugal captain.

The number nine (Anthony Martial), which Ronaldo has also worn in the past, is currently taken.

What shirt numbers are available to Cristiano Ronaldo at Man Utd?

Currently, should Ronaldo be unable to take up number seven, he would have to make do with one of the following available numbers: 12, 15, 24, 30, 31, 33, 35.

What numbers has Cristiano Ronaldo worn before?

Though Ronaldo has built his entire career around his favoured number seven, it wasn't always the number that he was associated with.

He wore the number 28 during his career at Sporting Lisbon, and it was his preferred number when he signed for Man Utd under the management of Six Alex Ferguson in 2004.

It was Ferguson who persuaded Ronaldo to take up the iconic number seven jersey, due to his confidence that the forward could reach the same astronomical heights as previous wearers of the shirt.

Indeed, a new era began at Old Trafford when Ronaldo assumed the number seven shirt, and the rest is history.

Ronaldo did have to initially make do with the number nine shirt when he transferred to Real Madrid in 2009, until the number seven was vacated by club legend Raul, who left for Schalke in 2010.

Source: Goal.com