DIOGO Dalot has been given the no. 2 Manchester United shirt ahead of the new season.
The full-back, who has been with the club since 2018, has taken the number off of former teammate Victor Lindelof, who left the club this summer following the expiration of his contract.
Lindelof had been given it in 2017 when he made his £38million move from Benfica.
Now, Dalot gets to follow in his footsteps and all the other names to have worn the no. 2 shirt – including Man United legend Gary Neville.
Neville, who hasbecome a star pundit for Sky Sports following his retirement, occupied the no. 2 jersey from 1994 to 2011, spending his entire career at Old Trafford.
He certainly made his mark in that shirt, too.
The right back made 600 appearances for the Red Devils in it, winning it all.
Neville had no. 2 across his back when he won eight Premier League titles, four FA Cups, two Champions Leagues and three League Cups.
Former Man United boss Jose Mourinho previously predicted Dalot would evolve into the next Neville, and now he’s wearing his shirt, he has the chance to make that come true.
Speaking to MUTV in December 2018 following a win over Fulham, Mourinho told MUTV: “Everybody knows that he has fantastic potential.
“I don’t want to compare, especially not the number of titles but he is probably the same age as Gary Neville when he came into the first team.
“Probably he can follow Neville in this dynamic of more than 10 years as United’s right-back, with amazing conditions to improve, because as I was saying he’s 19 years old.”
Since Neville, that shirt has been worn by Wes Brown and Rafael too.
Brown only donned it once, during the Manchester derby against Manchester City in 2008.
Meanwhile, Man United’s new addition, Matheus Cunha, was assigned his new shirt number last week.
He has taken Marcus Rashford’s no.10, with Rashford being one of five senior players to tell the club of their desire to leave this summer.
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