The Argentinian attacker should be handed the fabled shirt by Erik ten Hag ahead of the new Premier League season.

Over the course of the last 60 years one of the most iconic shirts in world football has been Manchester United’s number 7.

It has been worn with distinction by a succession of United legends including George Best, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona, David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo.

It remains one of the most evocative symbols at Old Trafford, neatly representing the club’s cavalier, thrilling and successful traditions

But at the moment there is no owner of this revered shirt, and it has remained unclaimed since Ronaldo’s second departure from the club seven months ago.

Last season, however, Alejandro Garnacho proved he would make a more than worthy recipient of the shirt with the spectacular impact he made on the pitch.

The 18-year-old Argentinian only made his first team debut in April 2022 but has already established himself as one of United’s most exciting attacking talents.

He made his breakthrough last season, playing 34 games and scoring 5 goals, which included a winner against Real Sociedad in the Europa League, a brilliant surging run and finish to grab a dramatic last minute winner at Fulham, as well as important strikes against Wolves and Leeds in the Premier League, and West Ham in the FA Cup.

He also contributed five assists last season, including his cross for Marcus Rashford to score the winner against Manchester City at Old Trafford in January.

Garnacho has become a United player in the best traditions of the number 7 shirt, because he immediately thrills and lifts fans off their seats with his ability to run directly at opponents and beat them with pace and trickery.

The United manager Erik ten Hag surprisingly chose not to start Garnacho in the FA Cup final against Manchester City earlier this month, despite already missing the injured Antony and Anthony Martial, and almost certainly regretted it when he saw how he performed as a substitute for the final 28 minutes.

Garnacho played without fear, tormenting the City defence on the left wing with his intelligent running, including one occasion when he cut inside and curled a shot just past the post as United searched for an equaliser.

It was George Best who first began the tradition of the number 7 shirt in the 1960s, and wore it on his most famous night, the 1968 European Cup final when United defeated Benfica 4-1 at Wembley to become the first English side to win the trophy.

The image of Best wheeling away to celebrate scoring United’s decisive second goal on the night in a blue shirt with a white 7 stitched on his back remains his most iconic.

But Best was not wedded to the number, and only wore it for a third of his United games, and actually played in the number 11 shirt significantly more times.

Best left United in 1974, and the shirt was handed to the popular England winger Steve Coppell, who played with style and wore it in three FA Cup finals until Bryan Robson arrived at Old Trafford in October 1981 for a British transfer record fee of £1.5 million.

Robson played 465 games for United over 13 seasons, earning the title ‘Captain Marvel’ for his leadership in central midfield. He captained United to three FA Cup final wins in 1983, 1985 and 1990, before helping return them to a title-winning force at the start of the 1990s.

It was probably Robson’s successor Eric Cantona who did most to elevate the legend of the number 7 shirt after he signed from Leeds in 1992. The Frenchman was the catalyst for United winning four Premier League titles in five seasons after a drought of 26 years, and he did it with his unique swagger and style that so captivated Old Trafford.

After Cantona’s shock retirement in May 1997, David Beckham eagerly grasped the shirt and for the next six seasons helped United win the Treble in 1999 and four Premier League titles.

“I think I cried,” Beckham has said about being handed the shirt. “My dad was the first person that I phoned. My dad was a hardcore United fan, so the fact that I was then his son, playing for Manchester United, wearing the number seven shirt, I knew how important that was.”

Beckham’s unprecedented global fame saw the number 7 shirt become even more famous as a slew of his United shirts appeared across the world.

In the summer of 2003 Beckham left for Real Madrid and was replaced by a virtually unknown Portuguese 18-year-old called Cristiano Ronaldo, who Sir Alex Ferguson showed his complete faith in by handing him the number 7 shirt.

Ronaldo rose to the challenge by becoming the best player in the world, winning the Champions League and Ballon d’Or in 2008, as well as three Premier League titles. He even incorporated his shirt number into his personal brand with the launch of CR7 before he too moved to Real Madrid in 2009.

“All players know, in Manchester and around the world as well, that the number seven is a mythic number at this club,” Ronaldo has said. “Sir Alex Ferguson said to me, ‘You’re going to take the number seven.’ It was that kind of moment that you never forget.”

Reflecting United’s own decline in subsequent years the shirt has been through a fallow period, being worn by a procession of underwhelming players, including Michael Owen, Antonio Valencia, Angel Di Maria, Memphis Depay, Alexis Sanchez and Edison Cavani.

Some honour was restored with the return of Ronaldo in August 2021, as he proceeded to score 24 goals wearing his old shirt during that season.

Now is the time to hand the shirt to Garnacho, a graduate of the United academy, who has already proved he has the talent and confidence to revive its legend.