Premier League
BEFORE CAVANI, AFTER RONALDO; OTHER PLAYERS WITH MAN UNITED’S NUMBER 7
BY ADAM ALADAY
New comer, Edinson Cavani has been confirmed as the latest custodian of shirt number 7 at Manchester United.
As 90min puts it, the number seven shirt at Manchester United has been donned by some true legends.
But since the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo back in 2009, a number of players have tried and failed (some more miserably than others) to deal with the weight of expectation on their shoulders after donning that famous jersey.
Indeed, since the Portuguese forward left the club, the five players to have worn the jersey have scored a combined…14 league goals for the club.
Yep, that’s correct – a grand tally of 14. During Ronaldo’s final season at the club alone, he managed 18 league goals in 33 games.
Of course, goals aren’t everything and, more often than not, they don’t tell the complete story.
But since Ronaldo, player after player has failed to deliver with the number seven on their backs. However, the 2020/21 season will now see new signing Edinson Cavani try and break the ‘curse’ of the shirt.
Here, we take a look at the players to have worn the number seven shirt since Ronaldo left and how they have failed to live up to expectations.
1. Michael Owen
Sir Alex Ferguson lost both Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez in the summer of 2009 and, as a result, he was on the lookout for a new striker to add depth up front.
Ferguson turned to Michael Owen, with the former Liverpool striker joining on a free transfer after departing Newcastle. Considering the void left by Ronaldo, fans were desperate for a star player – perhaps in their peak years – to come in and take over the shirt.
But instead, Owen was a player who was still continuing to struggle with injuries, while he wasn’t exactly getting any younger either. In total, Owen scored 17 goals in 52 appearances for the club, although he did start just 18 games.
Despite him being nothing more than a squad player when fit, Owen did provide fans with a few moments that will long in the memory, notably his last-gap winner in the Manchester derby.
Oh, and the move benefited him as well as he was finally able to get his hands on a Premier League winners medal. Owen’s remarks after winning the title were blunt, but very true: “If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.”
2. Antonio Valencia
Antonio Valencia arrived at Old Trafford during the same summer as Owen, with Ferguson actually offering the player the seven shirt before turning to the Englishman. However, Valencia turned down the opportunity.
The former Wigan man wasn’t the most glamorous footballer, nor was he the most lethal in front of goal. But it was his work ethic that made him such a fan favourite. Valencia was Mr Consistent, the player Ferguson could always rely on in every game.
After an excellent 2011/12 season, Valencia was named the club’s player of the year before being handed the prestigious shirt. However, he would only hold onto it for one year before returning to number 25.
But rather than the added pressure that comes with the jersey, Valencia has since insisted that it was a matter of feeling more comfortable with 25 on his back. Indeed, this is the character and type of player Valencia was at Manchester United.
During his time wearing number seven, Valencia only managed one goal – although he did struggle with injuries.
In total, Valencia made 339 appearances for the Red Devils before departing in the summer of 2019, scoring 25 times and providing 62 assists during his ten-year stay.
3. Angel Di Maria
Angel Di Maria’s transfer to Man Utd is a prime example of where the club have failed since Ferguson retired. The Argentine never looked like he wanted to be there, looking unsettled and uninterested during his stay.
It was a case of wanting to make a ‘statement’ signing in order to show that the Red Devils still meant business. But the problem, however, was that the money was doing the talking – rather than the player’s eagerness to join or his desire to be part of the footballing project.
There was plenty of excitement as he shone in the first few weeks, but his form quickly dipped…drastically.
The signing of Di Maria paved the way for a number of high-profile, big money transfers for United – most of which resulted in failure.
Now with PSG, it has been made clear by his wife and his teammates just how much he now dislikes Man Utd.
At least, it appears as though lesson are finally being learned.
4. Memphis Depay
Perhaps it was a case of too much, too young for Memphis at Man Utd. Following the departure of Di Maria, the shirt was handed to Memphis – a player the club hoped would don the jersey for years to come.
With skill, pace, creativity and a real eye for goal, Memphis had all the attributes to succeed at United and it seemed as though they had made an excellent signing.
But whether it was a case of mental strength or the team’s overall inconsistency not allowing Depay with the chance to showcase his talents regularly, the Dutchman struggled to make much of an impact.
His talent was clear for all to see, with fans witnessing his moments of supreme quality. But it was all far too irregular, with the forward also often disappearing for large parts of games.
Now with Lyon, Memphis has been putting in consistently impressive performances for a while and is showing why United paid so much to bring him to the club back in 2015.
5. Alexis Sanchez
Alexis Sanchez at Manchester United:
– Cost the club around £28,800 for each touch of the ball he made at the club.
– His tally of three Premier League goals meant each strike was worth £19.8m.
– Cost more than £40m in wages.
Sanchez’s Manchester United nightmare is finally over.
Sanchez joined United in the peak of his powers, hence why the Red Devils fought so hard to land him.
But while he claimed rather unconvincingly that he had always ‘dreamt’ of playing at Old Trafford, he seemingly only joined after United came in with a mega contract offer to beat local rivals Manchester City to his signature.
Sure, you can look at the stats – five goals in 45 games – to see just how poor he was for United, but the problems were so much worse. He never fit in and never really looked part of the squad.
This had a major impact on the pitch as he gave the ball away time after time and struggled to gain any real understanding of his teammates’ games.
United had enough and offloaded him to Inter for the 2019/20 season, where he has managed to shine in parts. The Italian giants have since taken up the option to make the move permanent, with the Red Devils opting to pay him off in order to get him off their books.
Sanchez was a mistake United have paid for, so much so they didn’t care about a transfer fee anymore. Over to you, Edinson..
.-90Min
Manchester United’s Harry Maguire struck a late header to seal a thrilling 2–1 Premier League victory over Liverpool on Sunday, ending their nine-year drought without a win at Anfield and dealing a blow to the reigning champions’ title chase.
Liverpool, who have lost four consecutive games across all competitions for the first time since November 2014, dropped to fourth in the table on 15 points, four behind leaders Arsenal.
United, who won back-to-back league games for the first time since manager Ruben Amorim was appointed last November, climbed to ninth with 13 points.
United’s Bryan Mbeumo stunned the home crowd with a goal a minute after kickoff when Amad Diallo pushed forward before flicking a ball for the forward to run onto and fire home from inside the box.
Irate Liverpool fans thought play should have been stopped before the goal with Alexis Mac Allister down clutching his head after a collision with teammate Virgil Van Dijk.
SQUANDERED CHANCES
Cody Gakpo hit the post three times before finally scoring the equaliser in the 78th minute, when he tapped in Federico Chiesa’s cross.
But Maguire sent United fans into a frenzy with the winner in the 84th when Bruno Fernandes floated the ball in for the big defender to outjump Ibrahima Konate and power home a header.
“It means everything,” Maguire told Sky Sports.
“They’ve had the better of us over the last few years and it’s not been good for our club and we’ve have not given our fans enough days like today. It’s been a long time coming, coming to this ground and picking up three points.
“I’ve been here seven years now and to come to this ground every time and not get three points has been tough. So it’s for the fans, I hope they have a great night tonight.
There were shouts for a Liverpool penalty early on when Casemiro’s cross struck Diallo’s arm. But the VAR video referee determined Diallo’s arm was in a natural and justifiable position.
Liverpool had 19 shots to United’s 12 including several jaw-dropping near misses.
‘SLOPPY’ LIVERPOOL
Gakpo was lively all game, hitting the post twice in the first half, and then nearly making it third time lucky when he smashed another shot off the post shortly after the break.
He missed a sitter in the dying minutes, however, when he headed the ball well wide of the net.
An off-form Mohamed Salah squandered a brilliant chance in the second half when the ball fell to him unmarked at the far post, but he launched it wide, his face etched with frustration.
“I think we conceded a very sloppy second goal,” said Reds captain Virgil van Dijk. “We worked so hard to get back into the game and we created great opportunities to score the winner but if you concede a second goal like that, that is the disappointing part.
“We need to stay humble and stay working and keep our confidence as high as possible,” he added. “When things get tough, it is important we keep the mentality of being there for each other. It is a long season.”
-Reuters
Manchester United’s under-pressure coach Ruben Amorim will be given the full three years of his contract to prove himself and the club will become the most profitable in the world, co-owner Jim Ratcliffe said on Wednesday.
Amorim was Ratcliffe’s choice to replace Erik ten Hag last November but the Portuguese coach has struggled to turn around the club’s flagging fortunes, winning only 10 of his 34 Premier League matches in charge.
United endured their worst top-flight finish last season since they were relegated in 1973–74, coming 15th, and they missed out on Europe after being beaten by Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final.
But Ratcliffe has issued his strongest statement of support for Amorim yet, comparing the situation to when Alex Ferguson struggled in the early years of his reign before becoming the greatest manager in the club’s history.
“I remember the clamouring for Alex Ferguson to be fired in his first two years,” Ratcliffe, who owns 30% of the club and controls the football side of the business, told The Times’ podcast The Business. “You look at (Mikel) Arteta at Arsenal. He had a miserable time for the first couple of years.
“We’re results-driven at the end of the day, but we have to be patient and we have to see through the results. I think there’s lots of good things at Manchester United. We have to be patient and we have a long-term plan. It isn’t a light switch.
“Ruben needs to demonstrate that he’s a great coach over three years.”
‘WE’VE MADE ERRORS’
While the American Glazer family retain majority control of the 20-time champions of England, Ratcliffe rejected suggestions they could instruct him to sack Amorim.
“It absolutely wouldn’t happen because it’s just a good working relationship. They come to the board meetings. We sit down and we talk about things,” Ratcliffe said.
“We’ve made errors. There’s absolutely no question that we’ve made errors as we’ve gone along and we’ve talked about it. But no one’s perfect.”
Asked to confirm whether Amorim would see out his contract, Ratcliffe said: “Yes. That’s where I would be. Three years, because football’s not overnight.”
Despite United’s stock falling on the pitch, off it they recently posted record revenues of 666.5 million pounds ($892.1 million) in the year to June 2025, albeit with a 33 million pounds loss.
Amorim’s squad was boosted by more than 200 million pounds worth of new signings in the summer.
“The better your squad, the better your football should be. So a lot of what we have done in the first year is spend an awful lot of time putting the club on a sustainable, healthy footing,” Ratcliffe, who completed his acquisition of a minority stake in the club in 2024, said.
“If you look at our results for last year we have the highest revenues ever. Profitability, the second highest. We’re not seeing all the benefits of the restructuring that we’ve done in this set of results, and we were not in the Champions League.
“Those numbers will get better. Manchester United will become the most profitable football club in the world, in my view, and from that will stem, I hope, a long-term, sustainable, high-level of football.”
Ratcliffe also said he wants to revive the club’s Academy that once churned out the likes of multiple title winners David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville.
“The academy has really slipped at Manchester United,” Ratcliffe said. “You don’t solve the academy problem overnight. It takes time. We just recruited a new academy director.”
-Reuters
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
Manchester United cruised to a rare comfortable home Premier League victory as goals from Mason Mount and Benjamin Sesko secured a 2-0 win over Sunderland on Saturday.
With the pressure growing on manager Ruben Amorim after a disappointing start to the season, Mount calmed the nerves around the ground with a fine early finish to break the deadlock.
United continued to dominate, with a spectacular save from Sunderland goalkeeper Robin Roefs preventing Bruno Fernandes from adding a sumptuous second before Sesko netted his first Old Trafford goal after 31 minutes.
Sunderland were awarded a penalty late in the first half, a decision that was overturned following a VAR intervention, but they never really threatened after the break as United eased to a third home league victory of the season.
The result put United in provisional eighth place with 10 points from seven games, two places below Sunderland on 11.
Wins, especially comfortable ones, have been in short supply for Portuguese Amorim since he took charge in November.
United supporters have slowly started to turn on the new manager as a result, with nothing short of victory over promoted Sunderland, despite the visitors’ impressive start to the season, enough to appease the disgruntled masses.
Mount’s superb control and finish was just what the beleaguered boss needed. The fine strike was the earliest United have scored in the Premier League since Marcus Rashford’s goal at Ipswich Town in Amorim’s first game in charge.
It was only a matter of time until the hosts scored again, such was their dominance. From a long throw, Sesko was alert to the flick-on before steering home his second in as many games.
United thought they had shot themselves in the foot as Sesko was penalised for a high boot in his own penalty area, only for VAR to deem it not to be a foul.
The hosts took their foot off the gas in the second half, but still should have added to their tally, with veteran Brazilian Casemiro blazing their best chance over the bar.
Sunderland did manufacture a late gilt-edged chance but Senne Lammens, making his debut in the United goal, stood tall to block, completing an assured performance from the keeper and his new teammates.
-Reuters
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
Two of a Kind: Pelé and Yekini Celebrate Birthdays in the World Beyond
After Super Eagles’ big win, Super Falcons plot another doomsday for Benin in WAFCON Qualifier
Osimhen double guides Galatasaray to 3-1 win over Bodo/Glimt
- World Cup1 week ago
Victor Osimhen qualifies South Africa for World Cup as Super Eagles go for Play-Off
- FIFA RANKING7 days ago
Nigeria Jumps Four Places in New FIFA Rankings; Stirs Optimism in Local Football Circles
- Athletics2 days ago
Nigeria to Host First-Ever Africa Running Conference in Lagos
- AFCON1 week ago
Tinubu Hails Super Eagles’ Spirit, Assures Support Ahead of World Cup Play-Offs
- Nigerian Football5 days ago
Jay-Jay Okocha Call Turns NPFL Boss to Instant Celebrity in Madrid
- CAF Champions League5 days ago
Remo Stars Host Mamelodi Sundowns in Crucial CAF Champions League Showdown
- CAF Champions League6 days ago
Two Decades After Their Defeat, Mamelodi Sundowns Return to Abeokuta
- CAF Champions League5 days ago
Black Bulls Edge Rivers United 1–0 in CAF Champions League Clash