Ralf Rangnick has reportedly handed Brandon Williams a lifeline at Manchester United despite Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sanctioning his exit last summer.
Williams, 21, joined Norwich City on a season-long loan in August in search of the game time he was unlikely to earn at Old Trafford.
The England Under-21 defender made 36 appearances in all competitions during his breakthrough 2019/20 campaign but only managed 14 last season.
Alex Telles arrived in 2020 to compete with Luke Shaw for minutes at left-back while Diogo Dalot returned from a loan at AC Milan last summer to provide back-up for Aaron Wan-Bissaka on the other flank.
Therefore, Solskjaer was willing to sanction Williams' departure in a move which raised questions over his long-term future with the club.
Did Ole Gunnar Solskjaer make a mistake by letting Brandon Williams leave on loan last summer? Have your say in the comments!
However, the Norwegian was sacked as United manager in November and his interim replacement, Rangnick, quickly decided Williams will be a member of the United squad next season.
That is according to The Sun, which claims the German approached the player during the Premier League clash at Norwich in December.
Williams was ineligible to play against his parent club and watched on as the visitors battled to a 1-0 victory at Carrow Road.
He also took time to catch up with his United teammates, presenting Rangnick with the chance to meet him face-to-face for the first time.
The report adds the interim boss told Williams he had been impressed by his progress with the Canaries and assured him of his future with United.
In particular, Rangnick is believed to value how the Manchester native is comfortable at left-back or right-back and with either foot.
The former RB Leipzig manager places great emphasis on his full-backs contributing going forward, which explains why he has preferred Dalot to the more defensively-minded Wan-Bissaka since he took over.
Williams has been used as a left-midfielder as well as a defender at times this season and his importance has only increased since Dean Smith replaced Daniel Farke as Norwich manager in November.
Williams helped the Canaries record vital back-to-back victories over Everton and Watford in January, picking up his first assist of the season in the 2-1 win over the Toffees.
These results lifted Norwich off the bottom of the Premier League table for the first time since early December.
Williams was subsequently named the club's player of the month for January and he is expected to line up at left-back for Saturday's trip to Liverpool, giving him the unenviable task of going up against Mohamed Salah.
