Alejandro Garnacho is not the first Manchester United player involved in squad number mystery

In the Old Trafford Megastore, there are no pre-printed 'Garnacho' shirts on the racks. On the online store, a search for Garnacho's name only offers customers the option to purchase last season's replicas.

Those who buy shirts in the Megastore are routinely reminded that squad numbers have not been finalised and are subject to change. On a trip there last week to get the new home kit for a child, a lad was overheard asking for Garnacho but was advised against it by his father. He got 'Mount 7' instead.

Mason Mount, Lisandro Martinez, Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford and Christian Eriksen were the most prominent names on display. In the queue for printing, Mount was by far the most popular request.

The queue might have been longer had Garnacho got the number seven. One of the biggest fan favourites, Garnacho was under consideration to occupy the '7' and the United app heavily hinted at it last month with a push notification that read, "If you're a true fan of Alejandro, then you'll score at least seven out of 10." It was accompanied by a winking emoji.

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Garnacho's brother, Roberto, posted a photoshopped image of Alejandro's name above the '7' and liked a tweet from an aggregator account relaying the Manchester Evening News's story.

So it was a jolt when United paraded Mount as the tenth permanent recipient of the number. For plenty of online supporters, it was a downright disappointment.

Pedants won't approve, either. Seven is synonymous with a winger and Mount is a central midfielder; a No.8, as he told MUTV. That already belongs to Bruno Fernandes, who starts as United's number 10, which has belonged to Marcus Rashford for the last five years.

Nearly