26 September 2023 , 18:07
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Former Manchester United academy star Ro-Shaun Williams is set to return to football, having been released by Doncaster Rovers at the end of last season.
Williams joined United at the age and came through the ranks alongside Marcus Rashford, with the pair becoming close friends. They also played together at Fletcher Moss Rangers before signing with United and Williams was Rashford's guest at Hampden Park when England beat Scotland 3-1 in an international friendly earlier this month.
The 25-year-old defender left United in 2019, signing for League One outfit Shrewsbury Town where he made almost 100 appearances. He then joined Doncaster in 2021 on a free transfer, but left the League Two side this summer after two seasons.
Now, according to a report from the Daily Mail, Williams is attracting interest from several League Two clubs. The report states that he has been working on his own with coaches in a bid to recover from a shin injury and will be fit enough to have trials at clubs in around a week's time.
Salford City and Stockport are said to be eyeing a move for the former England youth international. Salford are, of course, co-owned by Red Devils legends David Beckham, Gary Neville, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Phil Neville and Nicky Butt and will know all about his qualities with Butt part of the academy coaching setup during Williams' time at Old Trafford.
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And whichever club Williams ends up at next, Rashford may well make a trip to watch him in action having previously been spotted attending Shrewsbury and Doncaster games. "I've known him since I was a kid," Williams told the Yorkshire Post earlier this year.
"I played local football with him before we were at United so I see him as like family. It's the same as my mum, dad or brother coming to watch me.
Ro-Shaun Williams and Marcus Rashford came through Manchester United's academy together (John Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images)"Marcus watching me is the same as if one of my mates who works at Amazon comes to a game. I'd still want to play well because someone's taken time out of their day to watch me.
"The difficult times and pressure are nothing compared to him. The size of the club, Manchester United, the amount of followers on Instagram, all that stuff, playing on Sky every week.
"I've seen him go through a lot of difficult periods and I know how he worked hard and took time to get a break and that's shown with his performances this season. I'm happy for him, proud of him."