Karl Darlow official Manchester United shirt number confirmed

Manchester United have continued reshaping their squad this summer, with two new faces arriving thus far as Michael Carrick prepares for the upcoming campaign.

Following the arrival of Andrey Santos, the Red Devils quickly confirmed another addition, further strengthening their options ahead of the new season.

Now, the club have also confirmed the shirt number the latest arrival will wear at Old Trafford.

United announced the signing of Karl Darlow earlier today.

Manchester United officially confirm Karl Darlow shirt number

Darlow will take the number 12 shirt following his move to Manchester United as the club confirmed on their website.

The experienced goalkeeper became Carrick’s second signing of the summer after completing his switch to Old Trafford, with his arrival officially announced less than 24 hours after Santos was unveiled.

Karl Darlow previously wore the number 26 during his time at Leeds United but is no stranger to the number 12 shirt, having also worn it during spells with both Hull City and Nottingham Forest.

The jersey became available after Tyrell Malacia left the club earlier this summer following the expiry of his contract, ending a four-year association with the number.

Before Malacia, the shirt was famously worn by Chris Smalling throughout much of his Manchester United career.

Signed by Sir Alex Ferguson in 2010, Smalling made 323 appearances for the club while wearing the number 12 and won two Premier League titles during his time in Manchester.

The last goalkeeper to wear the shirt before Darlow was Ben Foster, who famously starred in the 2009 League Cup final against Tottenham Hotspur, saving in the penalty shootout to help United lift the trophy at Wembley.

Darlow’s arrival also marks another change in United’s goalkeeping department.

The veteran stopper is expected to serve as Senne Lammens’ understudy after the Belgian established himself as the club’s first-choice goalkeeper following an impressive debut season.

Meanwhile, Andre Onana has departed on loan to Trabzonspor, while Altay Bayindir is widely expected to leave before the transfer window closes, making Darlow an experienced backup option for Carrick heading into the 2026/27 season.