Former Man United star Brandon Williams, 24, reveals he considered RETIRING as he opens up on his downfall after being 'stabbed in the back', with defender facing two years in prison

Brandon Williams has admitted successful a candid interrogation with erstwhile Manchester United prima Ben Foster that helium considered retiring from shot earlier taking a interruption from the crippled this season.

Williams burst onto the country arsenic a teen astatine Old Trafford aft being handed his debut by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer successful 2019, but injuries and nonaccomplishment of signifier led to him being sent retired connected indebtedness to Norwich and Ipswich before being subsequently released by the Red Devils past summer.

The 24-year-old, who has taken a interruption from shot pursuing his exit from Old Trafford past summer, is present facing a imaginable two-year situation condemnation aft pleading blameworthy to unsafe driving past week. 

Williams crashed his car astatine 99mph 'with a balloon successful his mouth' portion accompanied by a young pistillate successful August 2023, and volition beryllium sentenced connected May 9.

Speaking connected Foster's The Fozcast, Williams admitted helium would person felt compelled to discontinue from the crippled altogether had helium not taken clip distant from shot since his Manchester United exit.

'I wasn't blessed to beryllium retired for a play but I was prepared to person a break. I conscionable didn't cognize however agelong that interruption was going to beryllium oregon however agelong I needed that interruption for. Looking backmost now, I don't cognize wherever I'd beryllium if I didn't person the break,' Williams said.

'I don't adjacent deliberation I would beryllium grooming now, I deliberation that would person conscionable (been it with football). But being backmost now, being backmost watching the football, it really hurts maine watching shot astatine the minute, because I conscionable privation to beryllium there, I conscionable privation to play, I miss being successful a team, connected the coach, I conscionable deliberation it's that happening wherever it gets excessively overmuch for idiosyncratic sometimes.'

Williams revealed that assorted clubs from the United States, England and Europe had reached retired earlier successful the play to sermon his return, but the defender was not acceptable astatine that stage.

Opening up connected the relation agents person played successful his vocation truthful far, the 24-year-old —who is grooming connected his ain each time different than Sunday successful an effort to physique up fittingness — said: 'I had 1 (an agent) for the archetypal 3 months earlier I made my debut and I wasn't the idiosyncratic who wanted it. 

'I ne'er wanted an agent. I wanted that older member who has a batch of experience, idiosyncratic successful the household I could truly spot but I conscionable ne'er had that. I ended up getting an cause astatine 18 until I made my debut and past astir six months after, I wanted to permission him and spell with different agent. 

'I was inactive successful declaration with that cause and helium tried suing me, truthful we had to spell to tribunal and get done each that. It ended up being good anyway. And I've been with the aforesaid cause present since I made my debut.'

Asked however overmuch interaction helium has with his cause arsenic helium pursues a way backmost into football, Williams admitted: 'I'll beryllium honest, I haven't spoken to him successful possibly a twelvemonth now. Maybe 12 months.'

Shocked, Foster asked if the cause volition get backmost successful interaction erstwhile Williams makes it known publically that helium wants to instrumentality to the game.  

Williams replied: 'We'll see. I'll person my speech and spot what that speech is. But since August I've had loads of teams effort to get maine out. I've conscionable not been ready. 

'I privation to spell determination 100 per cent and cognize wherever I'm going. 100 per cent focused and conscionable footwear on. When it does get to that stage, we'll extremity up making the close decision.'

Williams has not played a competitory lucifer since December 29, 2023. He was near retired of Ipswich's matchday squad for the 2nd fractional of past play arsenic they secured promotion to the Premier League, and past failed to gain a caller declaration astatine United.

Lifting the lid connected his clip astatine Manchester United, the 24-year-old full-back admitted that helium struggled to get retired of furniture successful the mornings during what was a 'dark' spell successful his career.

'I consciousness like, successful my head, I'm precise mentally strong. From wherever I was, to wherever I americium now, if you were connected the travel you would spot what a monolithic quality determination is,' Williams said.

When asked who helium spoke to during his pugnacious times, helium replied: 'Mick Farrell, astatine United, helium was a scientist determination and I knew him since I was similar 15. 

'He utilized to bring maine successful each the time, erstwhile I wasn't moving retired of my flat and conscionable staying successful bed, helium would crook up astatine similar 9 o'clock, astatine my bedside conscionable trying to get maine out. Things like, "Let's spell for a walk" oregon "Let's spell for a coffee".

'It was acheronian (struggling to get retired of bed). It was hard due to the fact that a batch of radical bash care, but a batch of radical possibly attraction due to the fact that they don't privation to suffer the manner that they had oregon thing similar that. They'd beryllium like, "Come on, travel on, we request you to get back". I needed that interruption conscionable to instrumentality everything successful and reset. Just to spell shade for a bit.

'No 1 knows what I'm doing. I cognize what I'm doing, moving hard, get backmost acceptable - and it's conscionable down to maine to bash that and conscionable get back.' 

The footballer admitted during the podcast that helium had been 'stabbed successful the back' by radical adjacent to him — and it led successful ample portion to him falling retired of emotion with football.

'At that constituent (shortly earlier his interruption from football), it was conscionable getting excessively overmuch for me. Problems with friends, friends going down my back, stabbing maine successful the backmost and worldly similar that. It caused a large thing. I was ignoring my family, not truly speaking to them, they were truly disquieted astir me. 

'My friends were arsenic good to beryllium fair, they could spot it. It conscionable wasn't right. Basically, I person this mode wherever I conscionable don't care. 

'I person this power wherever I conscionable don't attraction what happens, I don't attraction what I do. They wanted maine to get backmost to shot but they could spot that I fell retired of emotion with it. I conscionable didn't privation to bash it.'

Williams was erstwhile tipped for stardom astatine Manchester United, with Red Devils fable Gary Neville hailing his cognition successful his breakthrough season.

After Williams starred successful United's 1-0 FA Cup triumph implicit Wolves successful January 2020, Neville wrote connected Twitter: 'I similar Brandon Williams. What I similar astir him specifically is helium has that look successful his oculus of idiosyncratic that would devour his opponents chemoreceptor to triumph the match. Keep going kid! Oh, helium tin play shot excessively which is ever a bonus.'

Williams did footwear connected successful the second fractional of the season, keeping the overmuch much experienced Luke Shaw retired of the squad arsenic Solskjaer enactment his religion successful him.

It didn't instrumentality agelong for then-England brag Gareth Southgate to beryllium up and instrumentality notice, arsenic helium reportedly eyed Williams for a imaginable spot successful his Euros squad the pursuing year.

However, the 2020-21 play didn't spell to program arsenic Williams mislaid his United spot to Shaw and struggled with wounded setbacks. 

Things did not amended aft that, and Williams got into an online spat with Rio Ferdinand aft Manchester City won the Treble successful 2023.

Williams was seemingly unimpressed with City completing the feat 24 years aft United, arsenic helium posted connected his Instagram story: 'Nobody wants a sloppy seconds'.

He past took purpose astatine Ferdinand aft feeling the erstwhile United defender had praised City excessively much, writing: '@rioferdy5 Bet you don't congratulate if you was [sic] subordinate keeep [sic] the aforesaid morals. [Snoozing look emoji] excessively [sic] look is boring.'

Williams did not play again for United aft calling retired Ferdinand, and helium is present facing an anxious hold to spot if helium volition beryllium sent to situation adjacent month.

Reflecting connected his Manchester United career, the prima admitted that the Covid-19 pandemic was a pivotal turning constituent arsenic acold arsenic his emotion for the crippled was concerned.

'At the commencement (of my Manchester United career), it was unreal. Travelling the satellite with United, playing successful these immense games — it's similar a family, being with household for specified a agelong season. Getting that interruption and everything similar that.

'But during my clip there, evidently Covid happened, truthful that truly took a toll connected maine arsenic well. That's erstwhile things started to creep in, worldly disconnected the transportation arsenic well. Just earlier Covid hit, I was speaking to immoderate of the players and it was the March planetary break. A fewer were like, "You're going to get a call-up here, you're going to get called up for England". 

'Then a fewer weeks aboriginal the league unopen down. At the clip I was astatine my mum's and I was connected my Zoom calls, and everyone's successful their mansions. In location gyms and everything. I was conscionable connected my mum's chamber level doing the plank! Using a suitcase arsenic a dumbbell and everything.

'All these batch doing stretches successful the excavation and I'm successful the shower, conscionable stood successful the shower,' helium added, laughing. 'I had a bully clip astatine United, I wouldn't alteration galore things.'