Manchester United's deadline day signing handed jersey number previously worn by Ighalo

Manchester United confirmed the signing of Uruguay international Manuel Ugarte from Paris Saint-Germain on transfer deadline day. 

Primarily a defensive midfielder, Ugarte has put pen to paper on a five-year contract, with the option to extend for a further year.

The 23-year-old was a key member of the Uruguay side that finished third at the 2024 Copa America and was named in the Team of the Tournament.

United announced on Sunday morning that their new man in the middle, Ugarte will wear the number 25 on the back of his jersey for the 2024-2025 season.

The number was vacant after Jadon Sancho completed a deadline day loan move to Premier League rivals Chelsea.

Since the Premier League era began in 1992, Manchester United's number 25 jersey has been worn by two African players, namely Quinton Fortune and Odion Ighalo.

25 is a popular jersey number in Nigeria as it was worn by Super Eagles legend Nwankwo Kanu during his stint with Arsenal.

Ighalo admitted that Kanu's use of the number 25 jersey at Arsenal inspired him to choose the same shirt number at Manchester United.

The 2019 Africa Cup of Nations Golden Boot winner became the first Nigerian-born player to make a first team appearance for Manchester United when he made his debut against Chelsea in a Premier League clash at Stamford Bridge on February 17, 2020.

Ighalo totaled twenty-three appearances for the Red Devils, tallying five goals and an assist while logging 760 minutes.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel

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