Man Utd defender exits on loan to all but end Old Trafford career

Manchester United defender Brandon Williams may have played his final game for the club after joining Ipswich Town on loan for the remainder of the season.

The 22-year-old hasn't played a first team game for United in over two years, spending the 2021/22 campaign on loan at Norwich City.

Williams returned to Old Trafford last season but wasn't able to force his way into Erik ten Hag's plans, watching on from the sidelines as United lifted the Carabao Cup and sealed a return to the Champions League through a third-place Premier League finish.

The versatile full-back, who can play on both sides, has under a year remaining on the four-year contract he penned in 2020, but with his opportunities at Old Trafford continuing to bleak, he will now spend the season with Norwich's bitter rivals Ipswich.

He will reunite with former United coach Kieran McKenna, who worked under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer before taking on the top job at Portman Road, and Williams revealed his excitement at getting the opportunity to play for somebody he knows well.

“Kieran was my youth-team coach at United and, from there, we have had a great relationship," Williams told Ipswich's official website. "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."

Williams made 36 appearances for United in a breakthrough 2019/20 season, but he wasn't able to retain his place in the side the following year as Solskjaer handed him just 14 outings and four in the Premier League.

Solskjaer was sacked midway through the 2021/22 campaign, and Williams was left out in the cold by interim manager Ralf Rangnick, who took charge on a temporary basis as United worked on convincing Ten Hag to leave Ajax.

He now looks to have played his final game for United, with his contract up at the end of his loan, though the Red Devils do have an option to extend should they want to try and sell him for a fee at a later date.

READ THE LATEST MAN UTD NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS & GOSSIP