Brandon Williams has looked back on a 2020/21 season during which the Englishman didn’t play as many matches as the term prior.
In 2019/20, Brandon Williams burst onto the scene under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The budding full-back would take part in 36 games across all competitions, ending the campaign as Manchester United’s first-choice left-back.
At the start of the following season, Luke Shaw picked up that baton, backed up closely by Alex Telles, meaning Williams had to move over to the right-hand side of defence for his opportunities. With Diogo Dalot leaving, the Harpurhey-born defender would still get his chances, right? Wrong…
Williams would feature in just 14 games, most of which as a late substitute. The 20-year-old would have certainly started to feel the frustration setting in.
Today, he’s been speaking to the media, with the United star admitting he would have liked to have played more. That didn’t stop Williams from pointing towards his overall progression as a footballer, though.
When asked if he’d have preferred to play more, Williams responded:
“Definitely,” Brandon told ManUtd.com. “Obviously, I haven’t played as many games as I did last year but honestly that doesn’t bother me. I’m here, I’m training with the best every single day, I’m improving. “
“I know I’m improving and the players, my team-mates, know I’m improving, and the management knows I’m improving. So that’s the most important thing, just improving as a player and keeping that mentality that ‘who knows when I’m going to play’, and I need to be ready when I do.”
It’s easy to forget. Williams is just 20, which in footballing terms is still so young. The Englishman has all the tools in his locker to go right the way to the top in this game. Now, it’s about being patient with him.
Whether that means sanctioning a loan move, as was whispered earlier on in the season, remains to be seen. I guess it depends on whether Solskjaer is actively looking to add another full-back to the squad this coming summer.
Personally, I’d hope that we place trust in our academy product. Williams can step in when Aaron Wan-Bissaka needs a rest and honestly, I’m surprised at how little he played this season.
The goal would be to get a good pre-season under his belt and hit the ground running when the serious stuff starts in August. he’s obviously good enough, while judging by his words, the attitude is spot on.
Does Brandon Williams deserve more starts at Man United? Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below.
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