Ranking every Manchester United No.18 of the Premier League era
Casemiro is set to become only the sixth player to wear the No.18 shirt for Manchester United in the Premier League era.
The Brazil international follows in the footsteps of some brilliant – and some not-so-brilliant – players to be assigned the number for the Red Devils.
We’ve taken a look at the five players in the Premier League era to have been given the No.18 shirt and ranked them from worst to best.
5. Darren Ferguson
Sir Alex Ferguson’s son wore the No.18 shirt three times during the title-winning 1993-94 campaign, which wasn’t enough to make him eligible for a winner’s medal, and his role on the periphery saw him transferred to Wolves for a quarter-of-a-million fee.
He spent four years as part of his dad’s squad and made 15 appearances in the inaugural Premier League campaign, slotting in for the sidelined Bryan Robson, but those came during the slow start to the campaign. He sat and watched from the bench as United rose from midtable to the top spot in the latter half of the campaign.
4. Simon Davies
Not to be confused with his namesake, the fellow Welshman who made his name at Fulham, this Simon Davies was part of the famous FA Youth Cup-winning Class of 92.
But unlike David Beckham, Nicky Butt and Gary Neville, he never quite nailed down a first-team spot. He inherited the No.18 shirt from Ferguson but only made 11 Premier League appearances for the club between 1994 and 1996.
After leaving United, the midfielder enjoyed a decent career in the lower tiers of the English football pyramid and Welsh Premier League.
READ: Where are they now? Man Utd’s FA Youth Cup-winning ‘Class of 92’ side
3. Bruno Fernandes
If you count Davies’ Youth Cup, Fernandes is the only United No.18 of the past 30 years not to win any silverware.
But he’s been a victim of circumstance, and the Portuguese playmaker has been the least of United’s problems amid their recent struggles. Yes, his form has dipped a bit over the past year, but he was a breath of fresh air when he first arrived from Sporting Lisbon back in January 2020.
Fernandes was named Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year in his first two seasons, including the 2020-21 campaign, which is only the second time they’ve finished in the top two since Ferguson retired.
He’s since taken close pal Juan Mata’s old No.8 shirt. Let’s see if that gets him back on track.
2. Ashley Young
New recruit Young had the unenviable task of inheriting Paul Scholes’s number after he retired in 2011.
But he arrived with tons of experience and didn’t seem daunted by the prospect of succeeding a legend. He kept the number even when Scholes came out of retirement, with the veteran returning with No.22.
The versatile England international won Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup, Community Shield and Europa League while wearing No.18, and eventually became club captain.
1. Paul Scholes
Obviously.
READ: A celebration of Paul Scholes’ goal against Barcelona, his greatest ever