Yeah it probably was a purple patch like Cameron Borthwick-Johnson. It’s a shame because I liked his desire.
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Jesus, it's a pre season game. How many times have Rooney looked crap in one. Now we judge Williams purely on this too 
Give the guy some space
Give the guy some space2 games into pre season after a long holiday now players are irredeemably shit. Jesus wept
I mean, he was pretty awful last season too. He's not good enough for us.
He'll be another player we'll cling onto for another few years on the hope he might be a decent option.
He'll be another player we'll cling onto for another few years on the hope he might be a decent option.
He needs to develop physically for me. That's why a loan would be good thing...
Haven't given up on him yet, he came through youth ranks and showed his qualities at that level, I think he was thrust into first team too early.
Haven't given up on him yet, he came through youth ranks and showed his qualities at that level, I think he was thrust into first team too early.
Agree he has to develop physically.
Agree. Think many people are to harsh on him. Young players often experience ups and downs. Last season was very disappointing, but we shouldn’t forget his performance in 2019/20 and the fact he is still a young player.
Now it’s time for BW to fight back and show his character; if he has the right mentality to be a United player. Right now he is balancing on the edge, but let’s wait 1-2y before we conclude on him.
Agree. Think many people are to harsh on him. Young players often experience ups and downs. Last season was very disappointing, but we shouldn’t forget his performance in 2019/20 and the fact he is still a young player.
Now it’s time for BW to fight back and show his character; if he has the right mentality to be a United player. Right now he is balancing on the edge, but let’s wait 1-2y before we conclude on him.
Its obvious he needs a loan with regular football to develop. He hardly played at all last season. Then when he did it was after loads of semi action at under 23 level. It isn't surprising he wasn't that impressive
Probably not going anywhere until the last day of the window. Telles has an ankle injury and Shaw a broken rib. Unless of course Trippier is signed in time.
Ya those injuries might force our hand in thr trippier deal.
We simply cannot afford to start the season with him at left back, massive liability. I’d be tempted to play Dalot or even someone like Tuanzebe there over him.
Sell him for whatever we can get.
Sell him for whatever we can get.
A good example of how we need to follow the Michael Edwards' model of selling players when their stock is fairly high.
After his breakthrough season, we could easily have got £20m and inserted a £30m buy-back clause.
After his breakthrough season, we could easily have got £20m and inserted a £30m buy-back clause.
You don't sell a youth player whose just had a good first season. It wouldn't make sense and would send out a terrible message.
He just needs a couple of years on loan in the Championship and then look at him again.
I think it very much depends. There are players who come into the team and you KNOW they 'have it' i.e. Greenwood.
There are other players who come from slightly left-field and surprise people i.e. Rashford/McTominay.
However, you also have players like Brandon Williams who, realistically, really surprised everybody with his little purple patch. Even then, you couldn't fault the commitment and his effort, but at best I think you could describe his performances as 'rough and ready' or 'enthusiastic'. I never once looked at him and thought, "there's our LB for the next 5yrs".
In that scenario, loans don't work for me. Brandon COULD still continue to develop and make a good PL LB, however, I don't think he'll make that progress by going on various loans and never really feeling part of something properly. Likewise, he won't get the minutes he needs at OT.
Sell him, insert a buy-back. It's win-win for all parties.
Agree me neither.
But it would still have been wrong to sell him after that first season. The whole ethos of that would have been uncomfortable.
But I'm not sure why you think a two year loan at a championship club won't progress him. He might not still be good enough but he'll progress for sure. Otherwise what's the point of any loan?
Perhaps but I think setting the player up at a club where his career can properly develop is often the best thing we can do for them as professionals.
It might hurt them to leave but having players languish - which we are prone to do - keeps them in limbo and we end up in situations where we start loaning 23/24 year olds out rather than just cutting them off and looking towards the next generation. Williams could have gone a year ago.
Tuanzebe also seems to be in this mould with talk of us extending his contract just to loan him again. Admittedly it's trickier with CBs than FBs.
I am just sceptical about the benefits of the loan system to be honest. Sometimes it works, like in the case of Mount at Derby, but realistically Mount wouldn't have gone near Derby or the Championship had Frank Lampard not been the manager.
More often, a player goes on loan, is forced to play a different style of football, is coached by inferior coaches, probably picks-up bad habits because it's unlikely they will be playing the type of football a top four PL side would play, never really feels part of the group etc...
Surely far better to let them go as they start breaking into 'adult' football, let them develop somewhere else and have that buy-back clause in-place for the rare occasion they will become so good we want to bring them back. That's the best solution for all in my book.
I look at all the talent we have produced over the years and look at the number of players we let walk away for peanuts or on free transfers. It's criminal really and doesn't do any good for the lads themselves
Either a loan or to sell him at a reasonable price with a cheap buy back is the way to go with players like this.
We never seem to make use of buy backs. Selling Williams for say 7.5m with a 15 million buy back would be a good bit of business all around.
We never seem to make use of buy backs. Selling Williams for say 7.5m with a 15 million buy back would be a good bit of business all around.
Buy-backs are not for everyone. It is a rarity in itself. Williams is not Sergio Reguilon. How often do top clubs want to buy their old players back? You can tell when some of them leave, like Pogba or Sancho that they are top bracket youngsters, but aside from the small few - it’s a one way ticket.
I agree it usually is but it removes the risk of selling. The only reason we keep players like Williams is because of the very off occasion you're made to look stupid by selling a player that becomes a world beater. Buy backs stop that risk and we can sell a player that will never become a first team regular whilst he stays here.
Get what you're saying guys and yeah the loan system is more miss than hit.
But I'm talking specifically after his first season, it would have taken a cold heart to sell him then. I doubt anybody on here at the time wanted him sold.
Then there's the impact on other young players, what would they think.
The ideal path to me to me would have been a loan last January followed by another this season.
Gotcha and agree a loan last year would have been best for Williams himself, though probably not for the club as our RB options were/are very sparse.
Didn't Lindelof play as RB one game when AWB was out injured? Ole didn't have any trust in Williams at all last season.
Could be going to Norwich on loan
Would have preferred to see him play under Hasenhüttl but Southampton aren't willing to pay the loan fee
Would have preferred to see him play under Hasenhüttl but Southampton aren't willing to pay the loan fee
Hopefully he'll get much needed game time at Norwich, hope it goes well.
He's better than Dalot so I would have preferred to have him around to cover for Wan Bissaka, but I suppose we're probably signing Trippier anyway.
Thought this is a smart move by us requesting £2m loan fee from Southampton if true, this will have tested their commitment to see if they have plans to give Williams an important role or just a squad cover, if it's the latter then I'd imagine they would pull out.
Really good point, that. So often players go out on loan only to end up as squad meat.
Supposedly it’s the same thing we’re doing with Tuanzebe. I think I read a £5m loan fee?
Don't they have highly rated Aarons on RB? Or am I missing something?
Hope he does well there but I can see this being one of those where he doesn't get many games. I really don't think he's United quality but hope he eventually makes a good career for himself in the championship or at another PL club.
Good luck to Brandon. Norwich's fullbacks are two of their better players (Giannoulis and Aarons on the left and right) although they have really poor depth behind them. Would have preferred a loan to somewhere with a clear path to the starting lineup, but to be honest if he can't break into the lineup at Norwich then he doesn't have much of a prospect of ever playing a big part at United. He's one I'd be looking to sell in a year or two unless he shows major development, we all get attached to our academy boys but the academy is there to make money for the club as well. I can see people calling Williams deadweight and wondering why our rivals can sell younger players for overpriced fees if we don't move him while his value is still decently high.
Took a look at the Norwich forums to get their perspective on this and there are two schools of thought. Some of them think Aarons is going to be on his way and Brandon is being lined up to replace him so they can use the Aarons fee to sign a CB and or a CDM, others think Aarons is staying and Faarke wants to use Williams on the left of a back 3 so they can push the fullbacks further up the pitch.
Aarons feels like a deadline deal waiting to happen.
I mean Arsenal still need a right back so I wouldn't rule out the potential Aarons leaving.
Seems weird that they'd use him as a CB in a back 3... Can't see him doing that role, to be honest.
I agree with you, they seemed fairly keen on the idea and were under the impression he had done so for us but I think they were confusing him with Shaw. Perhaps they think their LB could play left in a back 3 and Brandon as wingback but I still feel he is most likely going there to replace Aarons.
And Williams having medical with Norwich tonight according to footballinsider - he will join on-loan tonight
I wouldn’t touch him for FPL even at 4 mil. Norwich are going to go straight back down and he’s a rotation risk.
Good chance for him to break into a PL team though. If he can’t do it at Norwich then we need to consider selling up next summer. This will surely end up going the way of Pererira otherwise
Good chance for him to break into a PL team though. If he can’t do it at Norwich then we need to consider selling up next summer. This will surely end up going the way of Pererira otherwise
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