One of the break-through stars of the season for Manchester United, Brandon Williams has enjoyed a meteoric rise since taking his first steps into the starting line-up.
The 19-year-old has now made 25 appearances for the senior side this season, and has shown his versatility too, by playing at both left-back and left wing-back.
But as is to be expected with young players, a rough patch of form or a particularly disappointing display will always be on the horizon. And against Manchester City on Sunday afternoon, Williams had his first real shaky moment in a United shirt.
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As per Sofascore, his 6.5 match rating was the lowest of any player on the pitch, and there were certainly multiple reasons why. Despite operating in that wing-back role, Williams managed no efforts on goal, attempted just one dribble, and provided only one accurate cross.
And aside from his lack of offensive contributions to the game, he had a particularly difficult game going back towards his own goal. After looking relatively comfortable for a decent chunk of the game, Riyad Mahrez’s introduction for Bernardo Silva completely changed how things panned out for Williams.
The Algerian’s more prolific dribbling skills and directness (he attempted four dribbles in 31 minutes of action), caused Williams major problems. By the end of the game, the United defender had been beaten six times, made no tackles or interceptions, and lost eight of his 11 total duels.
Whilst the Red Devils starlet will no doubt be licking his wounds, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may have cause for concern. Of course, a player’s mentality will be key in determining how they bounce back from a poor game, but the United boss will be wary of whether someone as young as Williams can shake off what happened on Sunday.
One particular moment saw Mahrez drop Williams to the floor with a dummy, twist him inside out after he got back up, and then saw his wicked delivery flash past everyone in the six-yard area. Potentially taking him out of the firing line for a week, and letting him switch for a moment, could be the key to ensuring he moves on from.
It will be a situation that Solskjaer will surely be monitoring over the course of these coming days in training.
Meanwhile, this Man Utd ace is still incredibly frustrating.