'Friends stabbed me in the back' - Brandon Williams reveals struggles including 'ridiculous' Man Utd pressure

BRANDON WILLIAMS has opened up on his struggles at Manchester United - and admitted he couldn't be "100 per cent" honest about them at the time over fears about what might happen.

Williams, 24, was axed by the Red Devils last July following a spell of loan moves and a drop-off in form.

6 Brandon Williams has opened up on his off-the-pitch struggles

6 Williams was released by boyhood club Manchester United in July Credit: Kenny Ramsay

The full-back hasn't played a competitive match since December 2023 and has been without a club since last summer.

Now Williams has opened up on the "dark" times and off-the-pitch issues that surrounded his Old Trafford exit and his loan spell in the Championship with Ipswich Town.

Last month Williams pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and driving without third party insurance following a high-speed crash.

Chester Crown Court heard Williams reached speeds of 99mph with a balloon in his mouth before being involved in the 74mph crash in August 2023. He is set to be sentenced on May 9.

Williams was sent back to Manchester half-way through his loan at Ipswich after boss Kieran McKenna - who knew him from his days with the United academy - told him to take some time to focus on his off-the-pitch issues.

Speaking on former England goalkeeper Ben Foster's Fozcast podcast, Williams told of not being able to get out of bed and his family and friends worrying about him in recent times - with the issues partly sparked by friends "stabbing him in the back".

He said: "My friends were worried about me, Angel Gomes, Jimmy [James] Garner, and D’Mani Mellor. Because I wasn’t training, I was staying in my apartment, I wasn’t moving, wasn’t coming out."

He added: “At that point I did [fall out of love with football], at that point it was just getting too much for me. It was problems with friends, friends going behind my back - stabbing me in my back.

6 Williams was sent back to Manchester mid-way through his loan to Ipswich Credit: Getty

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"I was ignoring my family, I wasn’t really speaking to them. They were really worried about me, my friends were as well to be fair. They could see it. It wasn’t right.”

The former England U20 and U21 international also revealed that he got to the point with Man Utd where he "couldn't be bothered" to train, having loved the first three years after breaking into the team.

Utd star 'had balloon in his mouth' when he crashed Audi in 99mph horror crash

Williams knew something wasn't right and went to Manchester United club psychologist Mick Farrell for help.

He explained: "Yeah I did [speak to someone}. It was Mick Farrell at United. He was the psychologist there, I’ve known him since I was like 15. He used to bring me in all the time.

"When I wasn’t moving out of my apartment, I was literally staying in bed. He used to turn up at like 9 o'clock or something at my bedside. Trying to do something like 'let's go on a walk, let's go for a coffee'."

Williams, who made over 50 appearances for Man Utd, pointed at the intense pressure of playing for a club the size of United as one of the reasons for "falling out of love with football".

He added: "With social media, it’s United. You can have the best game and you’ll still get criticism, and my family is reading that.

"It’s hard to explain to them. It’s literally impossible to explain and make them understand that the club is THAT big. You don’t realise how big the club is until you actually play there.

"100 per cent [it's the hardest club to play for in the world], 100 per cent. I didn’t realise how big the club was.

"I knew how big it was, but until I went on pre-season or went to another country - even when I’m going on holiday to different countries.

"I’m just like, I’m in the middle of nowhere and people know me. It’s ridiculous how big the club is.”

6 Williams played for Man Utd from the age of eight Credit: Getty

6 He also had a brief spell on loan with Norwich Credit: Getty

But navigating that pressure was never easy for Williams, who explained that - in his experience - football doesn't have an open culture when it comes to talking about your issues.

He explained: "No. Nobody does [talk about it]. Nobody really talks about if someone’s got an issue. I’ve never experienced that anyway.”

It was that culture, and a fear of what consequences could come from speaking up, that meant Williams couldn't even be honest about his own problems when talking to club psychologists.

He explained: “When I am having these conversations [with club psychologists] I might not fully be giving him the truth.

"It’s like, if I tell him that and he just tells one person… literally at a football club it’s a small world. When one person does one thing wrong it’ll get found out in five minutes. It spreads so fast.

"I was always wary about what I should say and what I shouldn't say.

"In hindsight, I’d rather speak to someone outside the club or just be absolutely 100 per cent honest with him.”

While Williams couldn't even be 100 per cent confident he could trust those around him either, adding: "It’s dark. It’s hard as well because, a lot of people do care, but a lot of people care because maybe they don’t want to lose the lifestyle that they had.

"So they’re like ‘Come on, come on we need you to get back. We need you to do all this."

Now he feels like he is ready to return to action, after months of working on his fitness in a taekwondo centre filled with Olympic athletes and hard work in individual training.

And he won't be short on options, revealing he has already had calls from around the world to try to sign him since last summer.

He told Foster: "I’ll have my conversation [with my current agent] and see what that situation is. But I’ve had loads of teams, since even August, I’ve had loads of teams trying to get me out.

"America, Europe, England, Championship. I’ve had literally loads of teams, but I’ve just not been ready.

"I want to go somewhere 100 per cent, [where I] 100 per cent know where I’m going, 100 per cent focused and just kick on. When it does get to that stage then we will end up having a conversation.”

6 Williams has had offers to return to football from around the globe Credit: Getty

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