Wout Weghorst explains Man Utd shirt number choice

New Manchester United signing Wout Weghorst has revealed his reasoning behind taking the number 27 shirt at the club, stating that he did so because two plus seven equals nine.

Weghorst made the move to the Red Devils on loan until the end of the season last week, following a short spell on loan at Besiktas from Burnley.

The towering striker has been brought in to provide some much needed depth in attack and add a potential new dimension to the forward line when needed due to his aeriel ability and hold-up play.

As a back-up on a short-term loan, Weghorst wasn’t gifted the coveted number nine jersey currently worn by first-choice Anthony Martial, but has come up with an inventive way to ensure that the number on the back of his shirt at least adds up to nine.

“Of course, I looked into the ones that are free or available. Two and seven will make nine, of course – a striker’s number. I had a feeling with it,” he told the club’s official website.

The shirt number choice is reminiscent of what Ivan Zamorano did when Ronaldo took the number nine jersey at Inter in the late 90s, with Zamorano instead opting to wear the number 18 and add a ‘+’ in between the two numbers.