Kobbie Mainoo shirt number change hint after Manchester United return

Kobbie Mainoo could be set to receive a new Manchester United shirt number after a hint noticed in his first training session back at Carrington.

Mainoo, 19, returned to United after enjoying a post-Euro 2024 holiday in Los Angeles this summer. The midfielder started all four knockout games for England in the tournament.

He excelled for Gareth Southgate’s team after forcing his way into the squad with his performances for the Reds during the 2023/24 campaign.

Now, Mainoo looks like he could receive an upgrade on his no.37 shirt in recognition of his growing influence in the United squad.

The teenager returned to Carrington at the beginning of this week along with Luke Shaw, Lisandro Martínez, and Facundo Pellistri.

Training images uploaded online showed all three of those returnees have their existing shirt numbers on their training kits. Yet, Mainoo had a numberless training kit.

Joshua Zirkzee was the only other player spotted in the session without a shirt number, and his has not yet been confirmed by the club.

This suggests that we could see another upgrade for Mainoo, who switched from the no.73 to the no.37 at the beginning of last season.

One potential upgrade for the midfielder is the vacant no.19 after Raphaël Varane’s exit from the club at the end of last season.

It was also believed that Mainoo might have taken Casemiro’s no.18 had the Brazilian left the club, but it seems likely that he will, in fact, stay at Old Trafford.

The number four is also available, while the no.14 could also become one to pick from should Christian Eriksen depart the club in the coming weeks.

Mainoo could make his first appearance for the club since the FA Cup final this weekend in the Community Shield against Manchester City.

Due to his lack of involvement in pre-season so far, Erik ten Hag is more likely to use the 19-year-old from the bench to help rebuild his fitness.

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