Manchester United’s summer signing Rasmus Holjund will take the number 17 shirt from Fred once he has been sold, according to Fabrizio Romano. The news follows recent reports that Brazilian midfielder Fred will leave United this summer, which would free up the number that the Danish striker wore for Atalanta.
Rasmus Holjund to take Fred’s Number 17 Shirt
New Signing Revealed without a Shirt Number Against Lens
Transfer specialist Romano stated on his YouTube channel last week that it is “100%” guaranteed that Fred will leave Old Trafford this summer. His departure would mean that the number 17 would become available and it is expected to be claimed by Holjund, who wore the same number at his former Serie A club.
The 20-year-old forward was unveiled before United’s friendly on Sunday against Ligue 1 side Lens but a shirt number for the player was not revealed. His new club defeated Lens 3-1 after going behind to a goal from Florian Sotoka, before Marcus Rashford, Antony and Casemiro struck back to win in their final pre-season match.
Watch: Manchester United’s PERFECT Signing
Fred and Donny Van de Beek to Leave This Summer
The Brazilian international and his teammate Donny Van de Beek, who is in talks with La Liga side Real Sociedad, are to expected be sold before the end of the transfer window. The funds raised from their sales will be used in The Red Devils’ attempts to purchase Fiorentina star Sofyan Amrabat. The Moroccan is keen on the move and awaiting formal talks to open between his Serie A club and the Premier League side.
[metabet_core_game_tile query=”soe/manchester_united” size=”350×300″ site_id=”lastwordonsports”]
Rasmus Holjund Expected to Miss Manchester United Opening Game
Manchester United start their 2023/24 Premier League campaign at Old Trafford against Wolves on Monday, August 14th. Unfortunately, fans hotly anticipating the young prospect’s debut for the club will need to be patient. The striker is unlikely to feature in their first match as he is recovering from an injury picked up in Atalanta’s pre-season campaign.
The Danish prodigy will be expected to make an instant impact despite his youth, with an extremely high transfer fee of £64 million spent on him and an additional £8 million in add-ons raising expectations for his first season in the Premier League.
Holjund has been praised highly by new manager Erik ten Hag for his “huge potential” while others have dubbed him the “Danish Erling Haaland“. The Dutch manager will be desperate to see some early contributions from the striker to reduce the inevitable pressure and scrutiny he will come under.
Main Image Credit: Daniel 0685 on Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0
