Next Casemiro: Ranking every Manchester United No.18 from the Premier League era

Casemiro is set to become the sixth player to wear Manchester United's No.18 shirt in the Premier League era.

The Brazil international is following in the footsteps of some brilliant - and less brilliant - players who have been assigned the Red Devils number.

We've taken a look at the five players from the Premier League era who received 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 fee of a quarter of a million.

He spent four years with his father's side and made 15 appearances in the first Premier League campaign, replacing sidelined Bryan Robson, but these came during the slow start of the campaign. He sat and watched from the bench as United went from mid-table to top spot in the second half of the campaign.

4. Simon Davies

Not to be confused with his namesake, the fellow Welshman who made a name for himself at Fulham, this Simon Davies was part of the famous class of 92 FA Youth Cup winners.< /p>

But unlike David Beckham, Nicky Butt and Gary Neville, he never managed to earn a place in the first team. 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 at the lower levels of the English football pyramid and the Welsh Premier League.

READ: Where are they now? Man Utd's 'Class of 92' team, winners of the FA Youth Cup

3. Bruno Fernandes

If you count the Davies' Youth Cup, Fernandes is the only United No.18 in the past 30 years to not win silverware.

But he was a victim of circumstance, and the Portuguese playmaker was the least of United's problems amid their recent struggles. Yes, his form has gone down a bit over the last year, but he was a breath of fresh air when he first arrived from Sporting Lisbon 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 he has finished in the top two since Ferguson has retired.

He has since taken the old No. 8 shirt of his friend Juan Mata. Let's see if that gets him back on track.

2. Ashley Young

New recruit Young had the unenviable task of inheriting Paul Scholes' number after his retirement in 2011.

But he arrived with a ton of experience and didn't seem intimidated 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 the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup, Community Shield and Europa League while wearing No.18, and eventually became club captain.

> 1. Paul Scholes

Obviously.