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Manchester United have so far sealed the signings of three players but manager Erik ten Hag wants more incomings. But for that to happen, the club need to raise cash by offloading a few first-team stars.
Quite few players with uncertain futures have been utilised by the Dutchman during pre-season in order to see whether they can fulfill a squad role going forward.
One player who has seen a lot of minutes in pre-season is Brandon Williams but he did not cover himself in glory against Borussia Dortmund in the last friendly of the US tour, committing the error that allowed the Bundesliga giants to open the scoring.
Williams is on the market
The United academy graduate has found playing time hard to come by since his breakthrough campaign in 2019/20 season, where he made 36 appearances for the first team under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
After making only 14 appearances in the following campaign, the decision was taken to send Williams out on loan to then-Premier League side Norwich City.
Despite the Canaries suffering relegation, the versatile full-back played 29 times under two managers — Daniel Farke and Dean Smith.
An injury at the start of the last campaign meant the 22-year-old made only one first-team appearance and due to the number of options at Ten Hag’s disposal in the full-back areas, it is unlikely that Williams will see much game time at Old Trafford.
Even though he can play both on the right and left, United currently have Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia on the left and Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Diogo Dalot on the right.
And according to The Independent, former Norwich boss Farke, who is currently in charge of United’s fierce rivals Leeds United, is eager to be reunited with the full-back.
“Leeds United are considering a move for Manchester United’s Brandon Williams, as Daniel Farke attempts to bring the club straight back to the Premier League.
Leeds credited with interest
“United would prefer all squad exits to be permanent at this point as Erik ten Hag seeks to reshape his squad, and requires fees to fund planned targets.
“Williams is one of those available for transfer, so a deal could be done. Much would depend on the player’s willingness to drop down a division.”
The Manchester-born defender is valued at €7million as per Transfermarkt and his current United deal expires next season with the club holding the option of extending it by another year.
With Malacia injured, Williams, who has won 51 senior caps for United, could have got a few chances but considering Dalot’s versatility, it would be best to part ways at this stage.
