Manchester United’s Brandon Williams has bid a heartfelt farewell to the club as his 17-year tenure at Old Trafford comes to an end.
Having joined the Red Devils at just the age of nine, Williams has now reached the conclusion of his four-year deal signed back in 2020. The defender made a notable impact with 51 appearances for United’s senior squad, having emerged under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s wing in 2019, and even netted a goal in the Premier League.
Last season saw the 23-year-old on loan at Ipswich Town, where he added two goals to his tally over 17 games. With Manchester United officially announcing his release, Williams is now in search of a new footballing home.
The club expressed its gratitude towards the academy product with a touching statement: “Brandon Williams is to leave Manchester United at the end of the contract, with best wishes from everybody at the club.”
In a show of enduring support, the club’s message concluded by leaving the door open for future engagements: “Brandon will always be welcome back at the club, through our Academy’s successful Alumni programme, and we would like to wish him the very best of luck for the future.”, reports the Mirror.
Williams has now taken to Instagram to express his heartfelt gratitude and enduring love for Manchester United, as he bids farewell to the club that’s been a part of his life since he was seven. In an emotional post accompanied by a montage set to Adele’s ‘Hometown Glory’, the young defender shared: “I always hoped I would have never had to make this post but here we are. Since the age of 7 this Manchester United football club has been part of my life from the cliff to Carrington day in day out.”
He also didn’t miss the chance to acknowledge his ‘brothers’ at the club, saying: “But to have been able to make brothers which will last a lifetime I want to thank my teammates, especially the ones I’ve shared the past 17 years with.”
Williams continued with heartfelt thanks to the club’s staff: “Thank you to the staff the kitmen, maintenance workers, security, and physios I could go on and on you were all amazing and of course the coaches.”
Concluding his tribute, Williams affirmed his lifelong support for the Reds and expressed his appreciation for the fans, teasing future plans with: “Then most importantly THANKYOU to you fans the backbone of the club the reason we work so hard for to be able to perform at the highest level because you all deserve it. Watch this space ! OVERANDOUT ONCE A RED ALWAYS A RED.”
Manchester United have also confirmed the exits of several players, including Anthony Martial and Raphael Varane, as they announced their official retained list. Martial, who scored 90 goals in 317 appearances during his nine-year stint at Old Trafford, and Varane, who spent three seasons with the Red Devils, will both be moving on after their contracts expired.
The club also revealed that talks are ongoing with Jonny Evans and Tom Heaton regarding potential new deals, while youngster Omari Forson has been formally offered a fresh contract. Meanwhile, Charlie McNeil is set to depart in search of ‘new opportunities elsewhere’, and Marcus Lawrence, Kie Plumley, and Under-21 player-coach Tom Huddlestone will also be leaving the club.
