Brandon Williams, the former Manchester United left-back, has been without a club since February 2026 after going through a difficult spell both on and off the field. The 25-year-old is now aiming to regain control of his life and fight his way back to the highest level.

He joined Manchester United when he was seven and made his breakthrough in September 2019, going on to make 51 appearances while competing with Luke Shaw, before Covid-19 halted his progress. “We were all on our laptops on Zoom. The lads were in big houses with pools and gyms and I was in my mum’s bedroom using a suitcase as a dumbbell,” he told The Athletic.

Williams left his parents’ home, a choice he now describes as “one of the worst” decisions he made, as loneliness and a lack of game time began to affect him. Loan spells at Norwich and Ipswich, away from his support system, made things even tougher. After 16 years at the club, his contract expired in 2024 and he then spent months at home without finding a new deal. “I did not want to play football any more. It was hard, but I knew I had to improve my mindset, I knew I had to do something,” he said.

In May, he was involved in a car crash while driving at nearly 160 km/h. He was given a 14-month suspended sentence, 180 hours of community service and a 3-year driving ban. “It made me grow as a person and made me realise it was real life, not GTA or another video game. I was stupid and immature.”

After an injury-hit period at Hull City, where he played one minute as the team secured promotion, he linked up with Rotherham United for pre-season in England’s fourth tier. Former academy team-mates have stood by him. He is still close to Harry Maguire, Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes, who often arranges tickets for him. “That is why he is the captain, he is a top guy,” Williams said, while acknowledging that a return to the Premier League will not come immediately.