Southampton target Brandon Williams is set to stay at Manchester United after interest from various clubs across Europe. Mike McGrath of the Telegraph is now reporting that Saints are looking for new fullback options after a deal for the Red Devils youngster looks increasingly unlikely.
Southampton to Miss Out on Manchester United Defender Brandon Williams
First-Team Breakthrough Last Season
During last season, Williams broke into the first team at Old Trafford.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer showed faith in the English fullback after Luke Shaw‘s injury troubles continued into the autumn of 2019. Williams stepped up superbly, playing very well, especially for someone so young and inexperienced.
Now, the youngster is around the edges of United’s starting lineup. He has six first-team appearances this season, with the arrival of Alex Telles meaning he is now backup for Aaron Wan-Bissaka on the right side of defence.
Despite this, the former Crystal Palace man has managed to remain injury-free this season, even with the congested schedule causing many teams to struggle with key players stuck on the sidelines.
This has meant that Williams has struggled to make his way back into the starting team, and rumours started to emerge as early as last summer that the 20-year-old could leave the Theatre of Dreams on a loan deal that would help him gain senior experience. Despite this, it looks as though he will be staying in Manchester for the foreseeable future, and Southampton are now looking at alternatives to provide depth at wing-back.
United Reluctant to Let Williams Go
After the permanent departure of Timothy Fosu-Mensah to Bayer Leverkusen and Ethan Laird’s loan move to Milton Keynes Dons both occurred this month, the Red Devils are short on natural right-backs. Should Wan-Bissaka suffer an injury, Williams is the only player naturally able to step in, although Victor Lindelof and Axel Tuanzebe, while more comfortable as centre-backs, can also play on the right side of the defence.
This lack of depth in the position has ultimately led to United’s reluctance to let the Southampton target go. While the move would be likely to benefit both the South Coast side and Williams, United simply can’t afford to lose any more depth at right-back, and unless they are to acquire a new player of that position this January, the 20-year-old looks likely to stay at Old Trafford for now.
Main Photo
