Barcelona has three vacant shirt numbers that Marcus Rashford has a history with | OneFootball

There are several matters to resolve within Barcelona between now and the end of the summer transfer window. For the Catalan giants, there is a certain urgency to complete Hansi Flick’s squad as soon as possible. After all, they want the Barcelona coach to get enough time to prepare with his complete squad.

To do that, the club is first looking to finalise ongoing operations and even completing those that are in advanced stages. For starters, there is still a need to register players this summer and various avenues to help do that are being studied by Barça.

Another big matter to look into is the arrival of English winger Marcus Rashford. Expected to join the club this summer following the reported confirmation of an agreement to sign him, the Premier League forward will join Barcelona on a loan deal from Manchester United with an option to buy attached.

Three numbers that Rashford has history with

Lamine Yamal is the new number ’10’ at Barcelona. (Photo Courtesy: The official website of FC Barcelona)

Yet, there is still no guaranteeing what shirt number Rashford ends up wearing on his back. While that little detail might not be as complex as some of the other things that the club is currently overseeing, it is still important enough to become a valuable merchandising opportunity for the club.

As highlighted by Mundo Deportivo, however, Barcelona has three numbers currently vacant and without an owner that Rashford shares some degree of history with. Two of those numbers have been recently vacated, while another has been without an owner for some time now.

The number ‘19’ was just recently vacated by Barcelona star Lamine Yamal. Following the announcement that Yamal would be the club’s new number ‘10’ moving forward, that leaves behind the number ‘19’ for Rashford to take on.

Previously, the English winger wore that binge during his early years at Manchester United, starting from 2016. He continued to wear it at the club until he was given the number ‘10’ shirt ahead of the 2018-2019 season.

A former Barcelona icon’s number to consider

Another number that holds some level of significance for the player is the number ‘14’. Regarded as a legendary number thanks to the likes of Johan Cruyff and Thierry Henry being associated with it, it just so happens to be a number worn by someone Rashford has always idolised.

With Pablo Torre’s recent departure, the number is now vacant. Moreover, with Rashford idolising Henry, a player who also joined Barcelona from the Premier League back in his day, it could be a number that he ends up considering.

Raphinha’s old number remains vacant as well

Lastly, the number ‘22’ is also something that the Manchester United winger shares history with. He wore the number on his debut for the England National team, and it is currently vacant at the club as well with Ilkay Gundogan and Raphinha being the latest players to have worn it.

Ultimately, perhaps this decision could have significance beyond just the player’s personal preference. After all, Lamine Yamal’s recent shirt sales have shown just how impactful good marketing can be, and it never hurts to have more than one player who can lead to high shirt sales.