Would handing Welbeck the No.7 jersey prove the making of him?

Football FanCast columnist Kenneth O'Brien feels that Fergie should hand the fabled No.7 jersey to Danny Welbeck.

First there was Bryan Robson. Then King Eric, followed by David Beckham and, of course, Cristiano Ronaldo. These four men have worn the number seven jersey at Manchester United and have done so, in the main, with distinction.  

The number seven jersey has taken on an almost mythical significance at Manchester United. It wasn't always this way though. Although Best wore it for a couple of years, I'd be hard pressed to recall Bryan Robson's predecessor as the regular number seven. That, in itself, is illustrative. Before 1993, when squad numbers replaced the traditional one to eleven, there was a number seven every week. Not so anymore and, as such, the job of filling the number seven for United has become one of the most daunting in English football. 

For the moment, the jersey is without a bearer. Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Real Madrid has left the number seven up for grabs and Sir Alex Ferguson now has to decide who will follow the Portuguese. Rightly or wrongly, the next Manchester United number seven will be compared to Ronaldo who was compared to David Beckham when he took the jersey in 2003.

There are obvious candidates. If seeking a Cantona clone, then United could do worse than Berbatov. The hope here may be that wearing the hallowed jersey would inspire the Bulgarian to find the form that, in the main, deserted him for his first season. It's a nice idea but, for some reason, I can't see the Bulgarian being too fazed about the whole thing. 

Who else? Developments of the last week have raised the intriguing prospect of Michael Owen being given the hallowed jersey. This might seem a nice idea but the sight of the former Liverpool striker in a United jersey will be difficult enough for some hardcore United fans. To see him in the same number worn by King Eric Cantona might be a bridge too far. 

No, for this decision, United have to go back to the future. In 2003, David Beckham left for Real Madrid and United handed the number seven jersey to an unknown teenager with lots of potential but nothing more than that. Six years later, it's time for history to repeat itself. Not Federico Macheda though, Danny Welbeck. 

Welbeck is the perfect fit. Young and raw, he is clearly rated by Alex Ferguson who suggested the young striker would be included in Fabio Capello's squad for next summer's World Cup. A Manchester lad, he will be encouraged by the United faithful and given time to blossom, time that would not be afforded to a big-name signing (assuming United are capable of making big-name signings these days).  

A more important and timely factor though, as a United fan, he probably has the childhood dream of playing all his entire at Old Trafford and never, for example, the Santiago Bernabeu.  This might just be enough to get him over the line. 

Check out the Newly Launced Transfer Tavern”>Transfer Tavern for all the latest football Rumours. You decide whether they Fly or Die!