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12th Jan 2017

Football purists are furious with Morgan Schneiderlin’s squad number choice at Everton

What's wrong with literally any other number?

Tom Victor

There are a few rules when it comes to football squad numbers.

Goalkeepers wear 1, only strikers should wear 9, and you’re a dick if you go for a three-digit number (looking at you, Adolfo Bautista).

https://twitter.com/DarrenSpherical/status/507203328552751105

Everton have confirmed their second big-money signing of the January transfer window, signing Morgan Schneiderlin from Manchester United for £20m.

The Frenchman wore 28 at Old Trafford, a number currently occupied by Toffees youngster Kieran Dowell, so he’d need to go down a different route.

Among the vacant numbers at Goodison Park are 13, 24 and 31, so he has gone for…two. Yes, two.

He might not be the first player to don the number two shirt despite not being a defender – indeed current Everton forward Arouna Koné wore the number during his time with Wigan Athletic – but there’s something not right about a midfield player taking that number.

Even worse, Everton’s number two shirt will forever be associated with club legend Tony Hibbert, and it’s a little presumptuous of some £20m chancer to waltz in and think he can make it his own.

https://twitter.com/belgiankev/status/819597506258595840

https://twitter.com/OsianFC/status/819597357025206272

https://twitter.com/ephemeraljoy/status/819604065378246656

Still, we suppose it could always be worse. At least he isn’t a goalkeeper wearing the number two shirt.