Raphael Varane fancied the number four at Manchester United but Phil Jones, not seen in the first team for 19 months, refused to relinquish it.
So Varane plumped for '19' - his first squad number at Real Madrid. Amad was not as precious as Jones and accepted 16, a token gesture prior to a planned loan to Feyenoord that collapsed.
Jones was not listed on the United squad sheet on the back of programmes for almost the entirety of last season. It is still not official, but this time next week Jones will be a former Manchester United player and the number four will be vacant.
Varane is worthy of the '4' and the obvious occupant. Conveniently, Mason Mount's squad number at Chelsea is '19'.
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Supporters are understandably eager for clarification on squad numbers. Replica shirts are rarely unprinted on the back and most signings are so telegraphed that the revelation fans are pining for is what number their name will be above.
United managers have pondered squad numbers fastidiously. Sir Alex Ferguson offered the '7' to Roy Keane, four years in as the No.16, as he wanted to prevent David Beckham from having it after Eric Cantona's retirement in 1997.
James Wilson was 'downgraded' from 47 to 49 by Louis van Gaal as the Dutchman felt a striker should have a '9' in his number. He moved up to 19 until it was rescinded and reassigned to Marcus Rashford by Jose Mourinho.
Mourinho revoked the number five from Marcos Rojo in the summer of 2018 amid his demand for a new centre half. Harry Maguire gained the number, only it was eight months after Mourinho's sacking.
Left-footed wingers Adnan Januzaj and Mason Greenwood received '11' six years apart and Brandon Williams, a left-back, went from 53 to 33.
Sometimes the players make the request. Antonio Valencia was such a hopeless No.7 he reverted back to 25 at the start of David Moyes's season. Luke Shaw donned 23 at Southampton but had the privilege of arriving as United's No.3 in 2014. After one disruptive season, Shaw took the 23 that the released Tom Cleverley had vacated.
Mourinho curiously gifted his two centre-back signings with full-back numbers: Eric Bailly has been United's No.3 for seven years and Victor Lindelof their No.2 since 2017.
Bailly has not played for United since December 2021 and is unlikely to get another competitive kick at the club. He is one of a handful of must-sells this summer and '3' is more befitting Tyrell Malacia than '12'.
Alejandro Garnacho is under consideration to gain the '7' and would be its first teenage recipient since Cristiano Ronaldo in 2003. There is always the danger of too much, too young and it would be possibly premature to grant him the honour eight months after his full debut.
Yet Garnacho, who bares a resemblance to Ronaldo after his recent cosmetics, has the self-belief to handle the sense of belonging in a shirt that has weighed down every United player since Ronaldo apart from, well, Ronaldo. Garnacho celebrated his FA Youth Cup winner at Old Trafford to the soundtrack of 'Viva Garnacho'.
Garnacho would be a worthy '11' but United have to come to a resolution on Greenwood. Treble anoraks will recall the quicksilver Jesper Blomqvist was United's No.15, available again now Marcel Sabitzer has returned to Bayern Munich.
Admirers of Andre Onana have noted his lucky number, 24, is also free at United should he become their new No.1. Tim Howard was the last first-choice custodian for United without a '1' affixed to his kit in 2003-04.
There are no frills with others. Scott McTominay has happily retained the '39' since his debut at Arsenal in May 2017.
