Manchester United Gifts Ruben Amorim His Preferred Jersey Number

Manchester United's defender Diogo Dalot has received a fresh jersey number for the upcoming 2025–26 campaign, moving away from his familiar No. 20 that he's sported throughout his seven-year tenure at the club.

The Red Devils freed up several jersey numbers following the departure of multiple players whose contracts expired at the conclusion of last month.

Among those departures was Victor Lindelöf, whose No. 2 jersey has now been claimed by Dalot.

This represents the classic right-back jersey number, famously donned by United icon and former skipper Gary Neville from 1996 through his retirement in 2011. Interestingly, Neville had also previously sported the No. 20 jersey before switching to No. 2, creating a parallel with Dalot's journey.

Dalot earned recognition as Manchester United Players' Player of the Year from his fellow teammates following the 2023–24 campaign and featured in 53 matches throughout all competitions last season, proving himself well-adapted to Ruben Amorim's tactical approach compared to many squad members.

Dalot arrived at United as a young prospect during fellow Portuguese José Mourinho's managerial reign. However, given his limited senior experience at that point in his career, his jersey number history primarily consists of his United appearances.

The Portuguese player wore No. 30 during his breakthrough period at his first club Porto, while his loan spell at AC Milan following his fall from grace under former United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer saw him don No. 5. Dalot has occasionally worn No. 2 before, during his youth days at Porto and infrequently for Portugal—though his standard international number is five.

Given Neville's extended tenure in the No. 2 jersey, remarkably few players have donned it for Manchester United during the Premier League era—squad numbers became permanent from the 1993–94 season onwards.

Paul Parker was the initial recipient of this honor, an unlikely hero of England's 1990 World Cup campaign before being replaced by Neville. Following Neville came promising Brazilian talent Rafael da Silva, who wore it from 2012 until his unexpected departure in 2015. Lindelöf inherited the jersey upon his arrival from Benfica during summer 2017 and retained it until his recent exit.

In earlier times, when jersey numbers were flexible and could vary based on each match's starting lineup, Johnny Carey, Bill Foulkes and Shay Brennan achieved their greatest successes while wearing No. 2.

Man Utd No. 2 Shirt History—Premier League Era