Marcus Rashford permanently tattoos his Manchester United No. 9 on his body in comeback statement

Marcus Rashford has found a rather permanent way to mark his latest Manchester United comeback.The 28-year-old has added his new No.9 shirt number to a collection of tattoos recording every number he has worn during his senior career. It comes after a turbulent couple of years in which Rashford spent time on loan at Aston Villa and Barcelona, before returning to United this summer and unexpectedly finding himself back in Michael Carrick's plans.Now, with a new number on his shirt and another chapter beginning at his boyhood club, Rashford has put the change in ink too.Rashford's shirt numbers are becoming quite the collectionRashford's abdominal tattoo already featured the No.39, which he wore when he made his Manchester United debut more than 10 years ago, along with the Nos 19 and 10, both of which he has previously worn for the club.He added the No. 14 alongside the No. 9, having worn the former at Barcelona last season and the latter during his six-month spell at Aston Villa. With United handing him the No. 9 again this summer, Rashford has effectively killed two birds with one stone.The numbers sit below a quote reading: "What your eyes see can be misleading, never judge a book by its cover."Rashford showed off the fresh artwork alongside a picture of his new United shirt, captioning the post: "New number, Same mission…"The work was carried out by Manchester tattoo artist Dale McGovern, who has also worked with other footballers including Rashford's United team-mate Ayden Heaven and Leeds defender Jayden Bogle. Rashford even signed a Three Lions shirt for McGovern to display in his studio.There was another addition, too. Rashford had a new tattoo placed below his right ear featuring a flower petal, a feather and the words "Love n let be".The No.9 itself carries a little extra significance because it is one of the most recognisable shirt numbers in United history, having previously been worn by club legends including Andy Cole, Mark Hughes, Bryan Robson, George Best and Denis Law.A new tattoo for a very different Rashford chapterThe timing of the tattoo is particularly interesting given how uncertain Rashford's future at United looked only a few months ago.After spending time on loan at Aston Villa and Barcelona, Barcelona decided against making his move permanent this summer, leaving him back in Manchester with questions over whether he could be reintegrated into the squad.He then came off the bench in United's opening-day defeat by Hull City before starting the 5-2 win over Ipswich Town, his first United start in 626 days.Rashford is also closing in on another personal landmark, sitting on 89 Premier League goals and approaching 100.His performance against Ipswich earned praise from Harry Maguire, who believes the forward can still become a major asset for United if he remains fit, happy and motivated."It's been really good since he came in," Maguire said after the win."He's trained really well and us as players, if Marcus wants to be here and wants to work and wants to improve and wants to help the team, of course, we're willing to have him in the squad."Maguire added: "He's a great talent. You've seen that he's always a threat. I think today, I think he was a threat constantly, and I think he could still do a lot more and I think he'll say that he can do more.""I think if we keep him fit, we keep him happy, he keeps driven, keeps hungry, and I think he is a great asset to have."For now, Rashford's latest career number is safely recorded — although if his United comeback goes particularly well, his tattoo artist may want to keep some space free.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.