'It hurts me watching football' - Forgotten ex-Man Utd starlet Brandon Williams opens up on pain of Red Devils release as he faces two years in prison for dangerous driving

Williams graduated from United's youth system and made his senior debut for the club in 2019. He spent the next two years at Old Trafford, making 21 Premier League appearances, before being sent on loan to Norwich City in 2021. He then spent the 2023-24 season on a second loan spell at Ipswich Town, but last summer the club announced that the player had been released after his contract expired.

The 24-year-old defender was caught speeding at 99mph in August 2023 and pleaded guilty to the charge last month, admitting to driving without third-party insurance. Williams' Audi A3 collided with a Ford Fiesta before crashing into the central reservation. The player will learn his sentence at a hearing that has been scheduled for May 9. He could receive a prison sentence of up to two years, the maximum set for such a conviction.

Williams has shared his agony after leaving his boyhood club last summer as he spoke on Ben Foster's Fozcast podcast. He said: "I was literally just staying in bed, he [unknown] used to turn up at like nine o'clock or something at my bedside. Trying to do something like 'let's go on a walk, let's go for a coffee'."

When asked how bad it got, he replied: "Yeah, it's dark." The full-back continued: "It hurts me watching football now because I just want to be there, I just want to play. I miss being in a team, I miss being on the coach, I just think it's that thing where it gets too much for somebody sometimes. Maybe I needed that break, just take everything in to reset."

After a frustrating defeat at the City Ground in midweek, Ruben Amorim's side will aim to get back to winning ways this Sunday when they face rivals Manchester City in the Premier League.