24-yo star who left United last summer admits it “hurts watching football now”

Former Manchester United left-back Brandon Williams admits he is not enjoying watching football.

A product of United’s academy, Manchester born Williams joined the club at seven and made his senior breakthrough under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in 2019.

The Englishman impressed with his aggressive style of play and quickly established himself as a fan favourite at Old Trafford. However, injury-prone Williams gradually lost his place in the first-team fold at United, who decided to loan him out to Norwich City.

After enduring a mixed spell at Norwich, the highly-rated full-back found himself at Ipswich Town.

Things turned from bad to worse, as the player, once tipped for England, couldn’t cement his place in Ipswich’s squad. The England U21 international’s last competitive appearance came in December 2023.

In 2024, he returned to United but the Red Devils decided against offering him a new deal, thus paving the way for his release.

Apart from his on-field concerns, Williams is also battling with off-field issues and is now facing a potential prison sentence after pleading guilty to a charge of dangerous driving.

The 24-year-old, who remains without a club, recently sat with ex-United goalkeeper Ben Foster and admitted it “hurts watching football.”

Speaking on Foster’s The Fozcast, he revealed: “It hurts me watching football now because I just want to be there, I just want to play, I miss being in a team, on the coach, I just think it’s that thing where it gets too much for somebody sometimes.”

Brandon Williams has sat down with Ben Foster to discuss his footballing career and the challenges of Man United.

This looks a really good watch 👏 pic.twitter.com/0opGhLU7HS

— george (@StokeyyG2) April 2, 2025

For now, though, the former United prodigy waits to learn his fate. He will be sentenced on May 9 at Chester Crown Court.

Upon Williams’ breakthrough into the first team, many thought United had found a quality replacement for Luke Shaw. However, the side’s left-back position remains a problem, and despite his injury concerns, Shaw is still seen as the best option for the role.

Ex-United boss Erik ten Hag signed Tyrell Malacia to challenge Shaw, but the Dutchman faces an uncertain future at United as he endures a nightmare loan spell at PSV Eindhoven.