Getting shirty: Will Cristiano Ronaldo wear number 7 at Manchester United?

Cristiano Ronaldo's return to Manchester United is a story of various sub-stories - and among them is the small matter of which shirt number he'll take.

The man so many believe to be the GOAT is synonymous with the number 7 - hence 'CR7', an instant identifier which has lent its name to his clothing line and the museum dedicated to him in his native Madeira.

So there shouldn't even be a debate about which digit/s will adorn his back when he makes his (second) United debut after the international break, should there?

Well...

For starters, United already have a number 7: Edinson Cavani, the man Ronaldo is set to dislodge from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's starting 11.

Footballers can become rather attached to their shirt number, especially in an age where personal brand has never been more important, so you can't necessarily expect Cavani to give his up just like that.

But even if he did want to gift-wrap it as a welcome present for his new teammate, it wouldn't be that straightforward.

This is where we have to turn to the Premier League rulebook, which states that:

"Before the commencement of each Season each Club shall allocate a different shirt number to each member of its first team squad.

A Club shall likewise allocate a shirt number to any Player joining its first team squad during the Season.

Save with the prior written consent of the Board shirt numbers shall commence with the number one and shall be allocated consecutively.

While he remains with the Club a Player will retain his shirt number throughout the Season for which it was allocated.

Upon a Player leaving a Club the shirt number allocated to him may be re-allocated."

In other words, unless Cavani makes a dramatic exit from Old Trafford in the next week or so, Ronaldo can't get his hands on the jersey that feels pretty much rightfully his.

That is in theory, at least. United could apply for special dispensation from the Premier League to be permitted to give Ronaldo the number 7.

While there is no precedent for that being allowed, it's possible that the Premier League would make an exception due to what having the actual CR7 in the league would be worth to their global brand (as opposed to, say, CR24, which sounds like a humanoid robot which didn't quite make the cut for Star Wars).

Perhaps fortunately for Cavani, the number 21 shirt - which he dons for Uruguay - is available at United. Or maybe he (or Ronaldo) could do an Ivan Zamorano by taking 52 and turning it into 5 + 2.

If the Premier League refuse to budge, though, there's always the option of Ronaldo going back to his roots with 28 - the number he wore when he broke through at Sporting Lisbon 19 years ago this month.