Manchester United star leaves the club to join the team of former coach

Manchester United have agreed to loan Brandon Williams to Ipswich Town for the 2023/24 season, handing him an opportunity to link up with Kieran McKenna.

The English coach was Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s assistant during Williams’ breakthrough 2019/20 campaign. He left the club following the Norwegian’s sacking and has since done tremendously well at Portman Road. As a manager, he first led them to promotion to the Championship and has now overseen three wins in the opening three games of the season.

The 22-year-old, who since his debut has amassed 51 appearances for United, will hope to rekindle his promising form of 19/20 term under the tutelage of McKenna in a seemingly settled and progressive team.

Former Manchester United coach to manage Brandon Williams

Williams was linked with a move to Leeds United earlier this summer. The Elland Road outfit is managed by Daniel Farke, under whom the versatile full-back played at Norwich City during his 2021/22 season loan stint. But for now, he’s going to play under another familiar name.

“He’s someone I’ve known since a very young age,” said McKenna. “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.”

Williams has entered the final year of his contract at United. The Premier League giants have the option to extend it for a further year, but a lot might depend on how he performs under McKenna.

Noam Emeran is another academy talent to depart the club this week, with United agreeing to cut ties with the Frenchman for a fee in the region of €1m. Emeran joins Dutch side FC Groningen.