Ipswich Town provides an update on Brandon Williams and offers insight into why he remains with Manchester United.
Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna has disclosed that Manchester United defender Brandon Williams has encountered a setback in his recovery process at Carrington.
Williams, who embarked on a season-long loan deal with the Championship promotion contenders last summer, went back to United last month for a ‘medical assessment’. Following a string of illnesses and minor injuries, the decision was made for him to return to his parent club.
Initially, McKenna, who has made significant strides since taking over as Ipswich manager in December 2021, stated on February 2 that he anticipated Williams to rejoin Portman Road within a maximum of two weeks. However, he has now confirmed that Williams is still with United due to a setback in his recovery journey.
Having not yet resumed training on the grass, McKenna, who spent five years at Old Trafford as a coach, is uncertain about Williams’ return to the Championship side to aid their promotion bid. Ipswich Town currently holds the third position in the standings and is actively competing for the second automatic promotion spot.
As per the East Anglian Daily Times, McKenna remarked, “We were hoping that would be the timescale, but he’s had a setback in his recovery. He’s still at United, he’s not training yet. We’re not sure how long the setback is going to take, but he’s not even on the grass with them yet. So he’s still a little way away.”
Williams, whose contract with United expires this summer, has been absent from Ipswich’s lineup since their goalless draw with QPR at Portman Road on December 29, marking his 17th appearance of the campaign. However, he has only featured five times since the beginning of November, indicating a lack of consistent playing time since late October. Despite this, he has contributed two goals for the Suffolk-based club, including a remarkable solo effort in their 4-2 victory over Preston North End on October 7.
At the time of writing, Ipswich Town is tied on points with second-placed Leeds United, who are set to face table-toppers Leicester City on Friday night. Ipswich secured promotion from League One just last season.
