Cristiano Ronaldo to wear number 7 shirt at Manchester United

Portuguese sensation Cristiano Ronaldo has dominated headlines since last week as he has made an electrifying return to Manchester United. He would be playing his first game on September 11 against Newcastle United at Old Trafford.

Meanwhile, there were speculations regarding the jersey number that he would be donning. While he has traditionally worn number seven, the number was already pre-occupied by Edinson Cavani at United.

However, the club has now confirmed that Ronaldo would be handed back his number seven jersey, while Cavani would be wearing number 21. Although Premier League rules do not allow number change mid-season unless the player is leaving, the Portuguese has been granted a special exemption following Daniel James' departure to Leeds United, who previously wore the number 21. Meanwhile, Ronaldo thanked Cavani for the "incredible gesture", as he wasn't sure if he would be wearing the shirt again. 

"Manchester United can confirm that Cristiano Ronaldo will wear the iconic no.7 shirt after returning to Old Trafford. The Portuguese superstar famously wore the legendary shirt number during his first spell with the club, and we can confirm that Cristiano will have it on his back once again," said United in a release.

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"Ronaldo inherits the number from Edinson Cavani, who wore the shirt last season and in our away win at Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend. As our new signing is allocated no.7, El Matador will switch to no.21, the same number our prolific striker wears for the Uruguayan national team," it added.

In the meantime, Ronnie has also been released from his international duty. He was handed twin yellow cards during Wednesday's win against Ireland. While he received the first after slapping Dara O'Shea, which could have been red, he sustained the second after scoring the winner in the 97th minute and celebrating by removing his shirt.

As a result, Portugal head coach Fernando Santos confirmed that Ronnie would miss his trip to Qatar for the friendly while not playing the subsequent FIFA World Cup Qualifier against Azerbaijan. Although this would make him return to England early to begin his second stint with United, he would also have to undergo a five-day quarantine upon arrival, reports MEN.

The United Kingdom government has rejected the club's proposal of exempting him from mandatory isolation. It means that Ronaldo will have to test negative on the second and fifth day of his isolation to be released to join United and train with his teammates.

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