Considering that Brandon Williams started only two Premier League games in the whole of last season, a loan spell at Southampton looks like the right move for all parties.
Alex Telles and the man popularly known as ‘Shawberto Carlos’ are already competing for the left-back spot in Manchester United’s XI while, on the opposite flank, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer favourite Aaron Wan-Bissaka is close to undroppable these days.
But while Williams would surely find opportunities easier to come by at St Mary’s than at Old Trafford, he certainly wouldn’t be a guaranteed starter under Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl.
Since swapping Tottenham Hotspur for the South Coast, Kyle Walker-Peters has blossomed into one of the Premier League’s finest right-sided defenders, developing his game at both ends of the pitch.
And while Southampton have lost Ryan Bertrand to Leicester City, they have replaced experience with exuberance in the swashbuckling Romain Perraud.
Will Williams join Southampton from Man United?
But, given Southampton have spent the best part of a year chasing Williams’ signature, it’s hard to imagine the England U21 international wouldn’t play a key role in Hasenhuttl’s plans.
According to The Athletic, the former RB Leipzig boss has convinced Williams and United the tough-tackling, old-school full-back would benefit from 12 months of sun and sand on the banks of the Solent.
Southampton are expected to take over his £65,000-a-week wages too.
Hasenhuttl has a fine track record when it comes to getting the best out of all-action full-backs. Should Southampton get the deal done at last, expect Williams to return to Old Trafford a far more confident, mature and well-rounded footballer in 2022.
Here’s what some Man United fans on Twitter had to say about the situation:
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