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Manchester United recently released their retained list for next season and some names caught the eye.
Anthony Martial and Raphael Varane will bring an end to their spell at the club while Jonny Evans cemented his unexpected importance as the club announced he was in extension talks.
One player who flew slightly under the radar due to not being at the club right now is Brandon Williams.
Once pegged as the natural successor or even competitor to Luke Shaw, Williams leaves with a whimper.
Successive failed loan spells, injury problems, and constant upheaval at Old Trafford have led the player to his position.
After his departure was confirmed, Williams penned an emotional post to his boyhood club on Instagram.
He said that he had always hoped this was not a post he would ever have to create and explained that he has made some brothers for life at the club.
He thanked the fans, calling them the “backbone” of the club and signed off by saying “Once a red, always a red.”
United responded to the post, a rarity for the club, saying that they will be closely following his journey from afar.
They wished him the best of luck for the future and said that it was a privilege to see him grow from a boy to a man.
Below is the club’s comment on the post in full:
“It’s been a privilege watching you grow from a boy to man, Brandon. We’ll be following your next steps with a close eye and be behind you every step of the way. Once a Red, always a Red.”
Williams will go down as a case of “what if?” at the club as at one point in his breakthrough season he had displaced Luke Shaw entirely from the starting XI.
It shows how unpredictable the growth curve for youngsters can be and why so many things need to click at the perfect time for a youngster to have a great career.
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