Manchester United Loanees – Where are they and how are they doing?

Manchester United look to have finally assembled the squad worthy of a genuine Premier League title challenge, and the best betting promotions would be a good option if you wanted to back United before the bookmakers’ odds catch up.

However, high-profile arrivals of Jadon Sancho, Raphel Varane and now Cristiano Ronaldo have come at the expense of some exciting young prospects.

The Red Devils academy has always been a factory of talents, with some of United’s most promising products currently plying their trade in the Championship.

Brandon Williams

After making 14 appearances for Man United in all competitions last season, Brandon Williams moved to newly-promoted Norwich City on a season-long loan in the summer.

Although he has yet to make his top-flight debut for the Canaries, the talented left-back played his part in Norwich’s 6-0 thumping of Championship high-flyers Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup last Tuesday.

Williams has come through the ranks at Old Trafford, registering his senior debut in September 2019.

However, Luke Shaw’s rise to prominence, coupled with Alex Telles’ arrival from Porto in summer 2020, hindered the highly-rated youngster’s first-team opportunities under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Norwich are tipped for a season-long dogfight against the drop, but Williams should have a genuine chance to develop his potential under Daniel Farke this season.

Tahith Chong

Tahith Chong has a long way to go before earning trust from the Man United hierarchy, but his displays in the early stage of 2021/22 are inspiring.

After enduring a topsy-turvy 2020/21 season on two separate loan spells at Werder Bremen and Club Brugge, the 21-year-old linked up with Birmingham City this summer.

A return to English football has helped Chong regain self-confidence and hit his stride.

It seems like the prodigious midfielder has managed to leave an underwhelming last campaign behind, hitting the ground running at St Andrew’s this term.

Chong has been handed three Championship starts already this season, repaying manager Lee Bowyer’s trust with a pair of assists against Luton last time out.

James Garner

Dubbed the new Roy Keane, James Garner reeled off a series of dazzling performances for Watford and Nottingham Forest last season, racking up 40 Championship outings.

The 20-year-old spent the second half of 2020/21 on loan at the City Ground, quickly growing into one of the most influential first-team figures.

Garner’s eye-catching displays down the final stretch of last season prompted Nottingham to let him stay on another season-long loan.

But, the deep-lying midfielder has failed to record a single minute of second-tier action this season.

He featured for the Tricky Trees in the Carabao Cup over midweek as his side suffered an embarrassing 4-0 defeat to Wolverhampton.

Ethan Laird

Described as a tireless runner and unrelenting presser, lightning-quick right-back Ethan Laird is currently on loan at Swansea City for the remainder of the 2021/22 campaign.

The 20-year-old was borrowed to MK Dons for the second half of last season, where he clocked up four assists from 24 matches in League One. 

Laird’s blistering showings in England’s third-tier football earned him a loan switch to Swansea in the summer as the youngster continues to show flashes of his vast potential.

The versatile right-sided prodigy laid on an assist in the Swans’ 4-1 beating of lower-league outfit Plymouth in the Carabao Cup encounter despite spending just 12 minutes on the pitch.

After contributing to Swansea’s tight 1-0 triumph over Bristol City in their most recent Championship fixture, Laird could be on course of establishing himself as a regular starter at the Swansea.com Stadium this season.