Manchester United's most important transfer could be the last to arrive

The new Manchester United kit is draped over the mannequins in the Old Trafford Megastore. On the online store, a handful of players' names are pre-printed on the new shirt.

Fernandes, Yoro, Martinez, Amad and Maguire are all featured. Safe choices. Ella Toone, Maya le Tissier and Grace Clinton also have that privilege.

It would be remiss of United to proactively plug 'Hojlund 9'. Get 'Rashford 10' or 'Garnacho 17' at your peril. 'Sancho' and 'Antony 21' are not even listed on the online options.

Matheus Cunha donned the '10' in the old gold of Wolves and United's salesmen will hope he has the golden touch when his squad number is confirmed. That it hasn't already suggests it is currently taken.

Whenever United's new striker arrives, he will be their new No.9, but maybe not officially. Hojlund had to wait a year for Anthony Martial's outstayed welcome to expire before he assumed the number. If Hojlund is superstitious, he might pine for his old number 11, yet that has been allocated to Joshua Zirkzee.

Supporters may have to wait to get a new striker's name on the back of their shirt. It has largely flown under the radar that United's priority signing is seldom the first through the door.

In last year's case, he was the last. United had to wait for Scott McTominay to go for Manuel Ugarte to come in. Both of their transfers were finalised on deadline day, with Ugarte's confirmed at 9.15pm.

United bought two centre backs and a right back before a defensive midfielder when the glaring issue in their madcap 2023-24 campaign was the absence of a shield in front of the back four. Erik ten Hag had two No.6s but Casemiro was injury-prone and Sofyan Amrabat not entrusted until the final two weeks of the season. He was not signed