Alexis Sánchez seems to be the last player to suffer the curse of number 7 at Manchester United.
The Chile star is currently going through the worst run of his career and was even left out of José Mourinho’s squad at the weekend after United Ƅoss suffered calls to leave him from fans.
Sánchez also snagged a quarter of the game yet to be played during Tuesday’s Champions League draw with Valencia and is looking to be a shell of the player who lit up the Premier League with Arsenal.
Cristiano Ronaldo is the latest player to succeed wearing the number 7 shirt at Manchester United
Alexis Sánchez is the last player to fall ʋictiм to curse number 7 at the Old Trafford club
But the 29-year-old is not the only player who has struggled in recent years at United after being handed the number 7 shirt.
Five players have donned the iconic jersey since Cristiano Ronaldo left United for Real Madrid in 2009 and all of them have failed to reach the heights of their predecessors.
In addition to Ronaldo, the shirt has connotations with United legends such as George Best, Eric Cantona and Daʋid Beckham, which understandably brings another dimension of pressure.
Ángel Di María also wore the shirt during his time at United and failed to reach the heights
LAST FIVE PLAYERS TO WEAR THE NUMBER 7
(In the Premier League)
Michael Owen:
31 games, 5 goals
Antonio valencia:
30 matches, 1 goal
Angel Di Maria:
27 matches, 3 goals
Mephis Depay:
33 games, 2 goals
Alexis Sanchez:
17 games, 2 goals
Sánchez is the last player struggling to cope with that burden, but the four players who wore the jersey before him fared no better.
Michael Owen, Antonio Valencia, Angel Di Maria and Memphis Depay failed to make the number 7 their own at United.
Between everyone, including Sánchez, the five players have only scored 13 Premier League goals in a combined 138 games in the shirt.
While Ronaldo, who originally turned down the number 7 when he joined United in 2003, has netted 68 times during the six years he wore the shirt at Old Trafford.
Considering that Depay and Di María have since shone in France and given the form that Sánchez has shown this season, and indeed since he moved to the club from Arsenal in January, there may be a case for curse number 7.
