Manchester United have announced that 22-year-old Brandon Williams will spend the 2023-24 season on loan with Championship side Ipswich Town.
Williams, who doesn’t fit into the season’s plans under Red Devils head coach Erik ten Hag, has been given the opportunity to leave in pursuit of consistent playing time. The loan deal is believed to include an option to make the move permanent at the end of the season.
Rejoining his former youth team coach and current Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna, Williams expressed his excitement about the opportunity. Speaking to TownTV, he said, “It feels good to be down here and I can’t wait to get started. I’m coming here to hopefully get into the team and play a lot of games. There is some very good competition, which is a great challenge, but I’m excited to meet the players and get started.”
Reflecting on his time at United and his connection with McKenna, Williams continued, “I played a lot of games when I broke through at United and have had a couple of tough seasons, too, so it’s good for me to get back out and start playing again. Kieran was my youth team coach at United and from there we have had a great relationship. He has always had the standards of a coach at the top level and has had a big influence on me. He has always kept in touch with me to make sure I’m okay and I trust everything he says because he is great to learn off. I’m excited to work with him again.”
McKenna also commented on the acquisition of Williams, saying, “We’re really pleased to have Brandon here. He’s someone I’ve known since a very young age and I’ve seen his journey and how hard he’s worked to get to where he’s got to. He’s still very young and has a large amount of experience for a 22-year-old, but is coming off a season where he hasn’t played many minutes and has had some bad luck with injuries.”
Praising Williams’ skills, McKenna added, “He’s a dynamic, athletic defender who plays with great energy and commitment and has good quality driving forward with the ball. He can go inside and outside from both wings and can pass and cross with both feet, he is an aggressive and positive defender who enjoys defending but can also give us thrust going forward from different positions. We think this is a good fit for our group and a really good step for him to come into our environment and culture, where he can work hard and get back to playing at the levels we know he is capable of.”
Williams, set to wear the number 18 shirt for Ipswich, has appeared in 51 matches for Manchester United across all competitions, with the majority of those (36) taking place during the 2019-20 season.
Though the left-back’s contract with Old Trafford is due to expire next June, Manchester United retain the option to extend it by a further 12 months. This extension is likely, as it would allow them to potentially sell Williams next year.
Good luck with everything, Brandon!
