What will Cristiano Ronaldo's Man Utd shirt number be?

Cristiano Ronaldo has now made a sensational return to his former home of Old Trafford, having signed for Manchester United for an initial £13 million (€15m/$18m) fee with add-ons of up to £7m (€8m/$9m). 

The striker had informed Juventus coach Max Allegri of his desire to leave Serie A for opportunities elsewhere, and while Manchester City seemed to be the favourites to sign him, it was Man Utd who won the race.

Ronaldo is famed for his relationship with the number seven, but what shirt will he wear at Manchester United? Goal takes a look at the possibilities, the options available as well as Ronaldo's squad number history.

What shirt number will Cristiano Ronaldo wear at Man Utd?

It has not yet been confirmed which number Ronaldo will wear at Man Utd.

Ronaldo has long been synonymous with the number seven, and has even built his entire brand under the 'CR7' name

Currently, the number seven at Manchester United – which Ronaldo has previously worn during his first spell – is being occupied by Edinson Cavani.

The issue would be resolved should Cavani end up leaving Man Utd this window, but Goal can confirm that the Uruguay international's future is still firmly in Manchester.

Ronaldo would likely not be happy to wear a number that isn't seven, a number that has also been worn by United club legends such as David Beckham, George Best, Denis Law, Eric Cantona and Bryan Robson.

But for now, the number is currently unavailable to the Portugal captain.

The number nine (Anthony Martial), which Ronaldo has also worn in the past, is currently taken.

What shirt numbers are available to Cristiano Ronaldo at Man Utd?

Currently, should Ronaldo be unable to take up number seven, he would have to make do with one of the following available numbers: 12, 15, 24, 30, 31, 33, 35.

What numbers has Cristiano Ronaldo worn before?

Though Ronaldo has built his entire career around his favoured number seven, it wasn't always the number that he was associated with.

He wore the number 28 during his career at Sporting Lisbon, and it was his preferred number when he signed for Man Utd under the management of Six Alex Ferguson in 2004.

It was Ferguson who persuaded Ronaldo to take up the iconic number seven jersey, due to his confidence that the forward could reach the same astronomical heights as previous wearers of the shirt.

Indeed, a new era began at Old Trafford when Ronaldo assumed the number seven shirt, and the rest is history.

Ronaldo did have to initially make do with the number nine shirt when he transferred to Real Madrid in 2009, until the number seven was vacated by club legend Raul, who left for Schalke in 2010.

Arsenal vs Liverpool : Premier League Live Stream

ARSENAL is back from the international break with a HUGE clash against Premier League champions Liverpool. Two Premier League giants look to turn around their stuttering league form at the Emirates Stadium.

As they enter the home stretch both Arsenal and Liverpool have much to do to salvage success from a season that has turned remarkably sour for them. While European competitions are their last remaining hope of silverware there is still plenty to play for, not least momentum to take into next week's fixtures, at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday. 

Jurgen Klopp's side could find themselves needing to make up an eight-point gap to Chelsea in fourth by kick-off whilst Arsenal's only realistic hope of European qualification through the league involves them winning most if not all of their remaining fixtures. Here is how you can watch the match and what you need to know:

When is Arsenal vs Liverpool?

Arsenal vs Liverpool is on Saturday, April 3.

The Emirates Stadium - with no fans in attendance - plays host.

What TV channel and live stream is Arsenal vs Liverpool on?

Arsenal vs Liverpool will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Main Event and Premier League.

Sky will also be showing Leicester vs Man City before it, which kicks off at 5.30pm.

To stream the game live, head to your Sky Go account.

Non-Sky Sports subscribers can still watch all the action with a Now TV Day Pass from £9.99.

What is the team news?

Mikel Arteta and Jurgen Klopp will be assessing their squads after the international break.

Emile Smith Rowe is a major doubt for the Gunners. The playmaker missed England's final Under-21 European Championship group game.

Addressing Smith Rowe on Thursday, the ex-Everton midfielder added: "He has some discomfort in his hip.

"We will see today with the physios and if he's okay for training tomorrow."

Storylines

Arsenal: The strides Arsenal's defense have taken under Mikel Arteta are clear for anyone to see but recent weeks have seen a notable regression in their work at the back with familiar tendencies for individual errors rearing their heads in the Europa League and a 3-3 draw at West Ham where they needed to overcome a largely self-inflicted three-goal deficit.

"One of [the areas that we need to improve] is related to the attention and focus that you need during the whole game," said Arteta. "For example, the way we conceded the second goal against West Ham, where we turned our backs on a free-kick close to our box, is something that we cannot do. It just gives a goal to the opponent.

"And there's also the other face, that we really like, the way the team played and reacted, the character we showed, and the quality that we provided on the day to come back against a really good opponent from three goals behind." Which side of Arsenal Liverpool will see on Saturday remains unknowable.

Liverpool: Whilst dropping Fabinho to the center of defense felt the natural and logical response when Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez suffered major injuries, recent games have shown the value of restoring the Brazilian to his natural role anchoring Liverpool's midfield. Suddenly Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson can push higher up the pitch whilst Thiago looks far more like the player the Reds believed they were signing when free from tackling responsibilities.

However, restoring Fabinho to midfield comes with its risks and could mean a central defensive pairing of Nathaniel Phillips and Ozan Kabak against Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and company. The question Klopp will be asking himself is whether the value of having a near full-strength midfield is worth compromising the heart of his side's backline.

Arsenal vs Liverpool Live Stream

Prediction

Two teams with such serious question marks should offer chances to the others, but one would suspect that it will be Liverpool who makes the most of those opportunities. PICK: Arsenal 1 Liverpool 2.