Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has said that Antonio Valencia is the perfect man to get the famous No.7 shirt at Manchester United.

After the departure of Michael Owen from the club in the summer, manager Sir Alex Ferguson has decided to hand this famous shirt in the former Wigan athletic man, who has been in imperious form since arriving at the club in 2010.

The Ecuadorian winger was a £ 16 million signing from Wigan back in 2010. He has been wearing the No.25 shirt number up until now. Some of the iconic names who have worn the No.7 at Manchester United include the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, David Beckham, and Eric Cantona.

Gary Neville, who announced his retirement from professional football recently, has said that Antonio Valencia is the perfect man to take over the mantle of wearing the No.7. Michael Owen was one of the lesser successful players to have worn this shirt number, but Gary Neville thinks that Antonio Valencia would be a perfect fit. Most of the players who have been using the No.7 at Old Trafford have been wingers like Antonio Valencia according to Gary Neville. Despite being injured for most of the last season, Valencia made a great impact whenever he played.

“He’s been a fantastic signing for United and thoroughly deserves that No.7 shirt. Having played with him for a year or two, I can tell you he’s a brilliant footballer, especially to play behind as a right-back. He does the right things at the right time, he works back to help out when you don’t have the ball, he delivers good crosses and he can beat a man,” said Gary Neville on the official site of Manchester United. Neville also expects Valencia to provide around 15 goals per season for the team.