What Happened To Brandon Williams?

Ex-Manchester United full back Brandon Williams has seemingly disappeared from football as quickly as he broke onto the scene five years ago. There were once comparisons made between him and Arsenal starboy Bukayo Saka, when he played at left back at the beginning of his career, but they are now so far apart in the footballing world. Williams was supposed to be the future of England’s left back position, but he is further away from the England team now than he has ever been. So what actually happened to Williams?

Breakthrough

Williams has spent his whole playing career so far at Manchester United. The 24-year-old full back made his debut for the club as a substitute against Rochdale in the EFL Cup soon after his 20th birthday. He played the whole second half as the match went to penalties, with United winning 5-3 in the shootout. His first start came in October 2019, when he played the full 90 minutes in a 0-0 draw with AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League.

Brandon Williams vs AZ Alkmaar:

96 touches – most in the game
95% pass completion
76 passes completed
8 recoveries – most in the game
5/6 long balls completed
4/4 ground duels won
2/2 dribbles completed
2 interceptions

He had a very solid game. pic.twitter.com/8lfA9UtwAJ

— UtdArena (@UtdArena) December 12, 2019

After a clean sheet in Europe, Williams was rewarded with his Premier League debut, although Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had little choice as Luke Shaw was out injured, to no one’s surprise, and Ashley Young was suspended, again, to no one’s surprise. He played 90 minutes and was substituted in added time as the Red Devils won 3-1. He was voted as the club’s Player of the Match by the fans, but could have seen red for a poor challenge, but VAR did not overturn the decision by the referee.

Williams played 36 times across all competitions in his first season in senior football, and that would go on to be his most in any season, as he started to fall out of favour at Manchester United, especially after Solskjaer left the club.

Failed Loan Spells

In the 2021-22 season, Williams decided that, in order to get more game time, he needed a loan move. Norwich City obliged having been promoted from the Championship in the previous campaign. While he did manage to find game time in East Anglia, Norwich were relegated that season, finishing bottom of the league. Williams’ performances convinced no one that he was good enough to play for United, so upon his return, he was frozen out of the side.

In the entirety of the 2022-23 season, Williams played just one match for the Manchester United senior team. He came on as a substitute in the 85th minute against Burnley as his side won 2-0. He also played a handful of games with the under 21s side, however even in those matches, his performances were poor.

Brandon Williams makes his Premier League debut for Norwich today 💪🏼 pic.twitter.com/MMCGrEDFDH

— Football Daily (@footballdaily) August 28, 2021

The following season, he went out on loan to Ipswich Town, in their one season in the Championship. Keiran McKenna was looking forward to working with him, however the loan was cut short as he was sent back to United by the manager because something wasn’t right. Having not played in six months and having made just one appearance for Manchester United since 2021, the Red Devils decided in the summer to not extend his contract, and since then he has been without a club.

Off The Field Problems

In the summer of 2023, Williams was involved in a road accident and was subsequently charged with dangerous driving. He has since been disqualified from driving after accumulating more points on his licence than Norwich managed in his season with them. Williams also admitted in a recent interview with Ben Foster that he had some issues going on in his life at the end of last season that led him to getting dropped from the Ipswich team.

Williams said that he also struggled to deal with being in the spotlight after he broke into the Manchester United team, but feared that opening up about his concerns with staff members at the club would invoke negative responses. A period away from football has helped him reset.

Where Next For Williams?

Now that he wants to get back to playing again, where would be a good fit for the 24-year-old? Como has been a club on the rise recently, and has taken a number of washed up players into their team. Sergi Roberto, Dele Alli and Patrick Cutrone have all found a new lease of life at the club, even if some haven’t performed to their highest standard yet.

There is also a chance that some clubs in the Bundesliga might take a chance on him. In the last 10 or so years, there has been an increasing number of English players playing in Germany, and while Williams won’t get a move to Bayern Munich or Bayer Leverkusen, he could fight his way into the Hoffenheim or Augsburg teams for next season.

Once a Red, always a Red.

After 14 years in the #MUAcademy and our first team, @BranWilliams has departed the club — wishing you every success for the future, Brandon ❤️#MUFC https://t.co/rpXK3sRNvN pic.twitter.com/3hCcAIYhW7

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) June 5, 2024

According to Williams, there have been a number of clubs who have been trying to capture his signature this season, some of which from the MLS. Charlotte FC is currently managed by former Premier League coach Dean Smith, so Williams could be a good fit there, but also San Diego FC, who are the league’s newest club, have been looking into European markets as of late, so he could end up there too.