One of Manchester United's forgotten young stars lauded by Paul Scholes could soon be heading to Serie A in a bid to revive his career.
Full-back Brandon Williams appeared a revelation when broke into the first team during the 2019/20 season, and a loan spell at Norwich last season provided him with further Premier League experience. But the 22-year-old has found himself frozen out since Erik ten Hag took over, with a late substitute appearance in a League Cup tie his only appearance.
The form of a rejuvenated Luke Shaw also makes it unlikely that the United youth product will force his way into Ten Hag's plans for the 2023-24 campaign. And with the Red Devils back in the Champions League after Thursday's win over Chelsea, the Dutchman is set for an active summer in the transfer market.
And Williams now looks likely to be one player heading out of the door. According to Tuttomercatoweb, the player is being tracked by Fiorentina, currently 11th in Italy's top flight.
The England Under-21 international, whose cause hasn't been helped by injury problems which kept him out of the first four months of the season, is currently under contract at Old Trafford until June 2024. United, however, do have the option of extending that deal by a further 12 months.
But Vincenzo Italiano is reportedly keen to sign Williams on a season-long loan with an option to make the move permanent for a fee of around £4.3million next summer. And the move would represent a fall from grace for the player Scholes one tipped to be a star at United.
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Amid his impressive form under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in late 2019, the iconic midfielder backed the youngster over Shaw, saying: "At the minute Brandon Williams is doing that so he is in pole position. He's an excellent defender but he can also get forward as well.
“He's got quality, he's a talented lad and he'll get up and down the pitch. He's got two good feet, I think he's more of a right-footed left-back which is strange. He's got the quality to get forward and the quality to score goals.”
Williams went on to make 36 appearances in all competitions for the club that season. But he's made just 15 since, although did shine at Carrow Road in 2021/22 despite the club being relegated from the Premier League.
