Ipswich Town are close to the signing of Brandon Williams on loan from Premier League giants Manchester United. Alex Jones takes a look at the man who could be the Blues' fifth addition of the summer.
Life as a Red Devil
Of course, Williams’ potential move to Portman Road has largely come about due to his connections with Town boss Kieran McKenna. The pair worked together during the Northern Irishman’s time at Old Trafford, where he helped the left-back become one of the star youngsters at the club. Despite that, he told UTD Podcast back in 2020 that he “wasn’t one of the best” in academy, often feeling jealous of more technical players in training.
That being said, Williams credits much of his senior career to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who was the only manager to really give him a chance in the first team at Manchester United during the early stages of his tenure in 2019.
He was included in the travelling squad for their Champions League tie against PSG in March before making his debut as a substitute against Rochdale in the EFL Cup in September.
Solskjaer kept working to bring him through. His first start came against AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League just a few weeks after playing his first senior minutes. He impressed, signing a new deal with the club in October before making his Premier League debut against Liverpool three days later.
With Ashley Young and Luke Shaw unavailable, the Red Devils had a selection dilemma heading into their trip to Brighton. This led to Williams being given the nod for his first start, helping his side win 3-1 and winning the Man of the Match award.
His stunning strike
Manchester United weren’t doing overly well at the time they visited Sheffield United in November 2019. Solskjaer’s men sat ninth in the Premier League table, having won just four of their opening 13 games.
That was echoed by their performance at Bramall Lane. An early goal from John Fleck coupled with a second-half curler from Lys Mousset put them into a disastrous position, but it was Williams who was able to drag them out of it.
His first senior goal came about when Dan James brought the ball forward down the right flank, beating Enda Stevens and firing a looping cross into the box. Although Chris Basham was able to clear the immediate danger, it landed straight at the feet of Williams, who calmly volleyed it into the bottom corner to start the comeback.
After the goal, Sky Sports commentator Gary Neville said: “As it falls to Brandon Williams, you’re thinking that it’s a difficult technique, but it’s absolutely exquisite. The finish is wonderful.”
That Norwich loan spell
Not many players cross the divide between Ipswich and Norwich City, but Williams may well be one of them.
After finding that opportunities at Manchester United were limited following the arrival of Alex Telles from FC Porto, the defender moved to Carrow Road on loan, joining the Canaries for their Premier League campaign in 2021/22. It was his first spell away from his boyhood club, which he clearly found difficult.
He made 29 appearances in total, 26 of which came in the league as Norwich suffered immediate relegation back to the Championship once again. Unfortunately for Williams, that wasn’t the end of the story.
Following a 4-0 defeat at home to West Ham United in May 2022, he posted an Instagram story of his middle finger with the caption ‘What a beautiful day. Easy up @NorwichCityFC’, tagging Suffolk as his location. He went on to post a photo of his dog, saying ‘for the people that followed me he’s always awake’.
The quickly deleted social media outburst came after Williams left Carrow Road to a torrent of threats and abuse, with some supporters following him back to his home after the defeat to the Hammers.
A statement released by his representatives read: "Following the game against West Ham, Brandon was subject to taunting and abuse whilst driving away from the stadium.
"Immediately thereafter Brandon was followed as he travelled home. Those following him only desisted once they realised Brandon had noticed them following him.
"There is no club investigation into Brandon. This conduct by a small number of fans is unacceptable.
"The vast majority of fans have been overwhelmingly supportive during Brandon’s loan time at Norwich.
"Brandon is grateful to Norwich City for their support and to all the true fans of Norwich who have sent him messages of support at this time."
His fighting family
Williams is a passionate player who, in his own words, hates losing. “I am the biggest sore loser,” he told The Athletic. “I’ve always been like that, even when I was younger. I have two sisters and with my nana we used to play games and if I lost I never lost, if you know what I mean. ‘Youse cheated, I won.’ I hate my friends losing. I am not the type of person you want to talk to after a defeat.”
That’s spark doesn’t come as a surprise. Williams comes from a boxing background as the cousin of Commonwealth super-featherweight boxing champion Zelfa Barrett, who he trains with before the start of pre-season.
That fighting spirit clearly translates to his performances on the pitch, squaring up to AZ Alkmaar midfielder Dani de Wit on his full competitive debut and throwing Callum Hudson-Odoi over the advertisement boards in a Carabao Cup game at Stamford Bridge.
His fiery temperament has been in the spotlight off the pitch, too.
Speaking to The Sportsman in 2022 about former Manchester United captain Harry Maguire, he claimed that “we don’t care about the outside world because the only thing that matters is the opinions on the inside”, going on to label Maguire’s critics as “some little idiot sat on Twitter”.
Following Manchester City’s treble win at the end of last season, he posted on Instagram saying: “Nobody wants a sloppy seconds”, referring to the fact that Manchester United had achieved the feat first.
Determined to prove his worth
Williams isn’t necessarily a swashbuckling full-back like Leif Davis for example. In an interview with Jamie Redknapp for the Daily Mail, he said: “I love defending. If I make a good tackle, it gives me a burst of energy and I play off that. I need that intensity to get the adrenaline going. When I make a tackle, it can generate energy into the team. It lifts the crowd and that lifts us. I love it.”
Of course, that drives his determination to start and prove that he’s capable of becoming a key starter away from Old Trafford. During his time at Norwich, he said: “I’m playing games now and I love it. I can’t wait for the weekend so I can get to the stadium. There would be no point in me going back to United and just sitting on the bench.”
His last competitive minutes for Manchester United’s first team came in a 2-0 win against Burnley in the EFL Cup back in December 2022, playing just five minutes. McKenna will certainly need to be patient in order to get him up to full speed as soon as possible.
His preferred position
Williams can play on either flank, meaning that if signed he’ll either be competing with Davis on the left or Harry Clarke and Janoi Donacien on the right. He can also play as a wing-back or, at a push, even at centre-back. However, he told The Athletic that his preference is to play on the left, which is somewhat unusual for a predominantly right-footed player.
"Kieran McKenna was the manager and I was a first-year scholar,” he explained. “One game, we had no left-back. I've always been right-back, left-back, centre-back from under-14s. He put me there and from then I've enjoyed it.
"I can play either side, even centre-back. I always joke with the boys when I get to 33, 35, when my legs start going, I'm gonna move inside. Right now, I'm a bit young for that.
"I get asked it [his preferred position] all the time, it's so frustrating! Even the players here. I got asked yesterday. I've been here four months and you're only just asking me? Bali Mumba, we were doing crossing on the left. He was like; 'Do you prefer the left'? Yes.
"There is a massive difference. I feel comfortable on the left. On the right, I feel I'm limited in the stuff I can do. On the left, yeah, I might not have the top cross into the box that a left-footer has, but I have stuff they can't do. I like to use that, coming inside, playing one-twos. And my left foot is not bad, I can still use it."
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