Ro-Shaun Williams,

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INTRODUCTION

Still a first-year scholar, the centre-back has pushed on beyond the UEFA Youth League team and into Warren Joyce’s Under-21s. In the absence of injured colleague Axel Tuanzebe, a regular partner at the heart of the back four at youth level, he has stepped up to the plate and handled the threat posed by more seasoned opponents. “Ro-Shaun has done very well,” said Reserves coach Warren Joyce. “He helped us withstand a barrage of high balls against Sunderland. He’s only 17 and is playing really well against men or players with a lot more experience. He, Axel, Marcus Rashford and Tim Fosu-Mensah are irreplaceable now in the Under-21s, let alone the Under-18s, because they’ve played that well and would be a big miss for any side.”

POSITION

The teenager appears very much at home in the centre-back role and has clearly struck up a useful partnership with Tuanzebe during their time at the Academy. “Ro-Shaun is a very good friend of mine and we get along, on and off the pitch,” said Tuanzebe. “Being able to bond with someone so close to you makes it easier. If there is a mistake, you just tell each other to get on with the game.”

STYLE

An outstanding athlete, he is able to exploit his pace and cover the ground quickly to plug gaps and close down strikers. As he possesses speed in abundance, can stand off forwards when the time is right, knowing he can beat them in a race for the ball. Learning to become a leader in his own right, he captained the Under-18s before being promoted to the Under-21s and has all the attributes required to become a top defender.

HIGHLIGHT

It is difficult to overlook goalscoring feats, even for defenders, so his only strike of the 2014/15 season was timed nicely as it came in the mini-derby against Manchester City during a 5-2 success. Away from United, he represented England at the Under-17 World Cup in Chile last year and was one of the team’s stand-out stars.

BEST PERFORMANCE

As his career is on such an upward trajectory, his recent outing against Sunderland's Under-21s can be forwarded as one of his classiest displays. Pitched against Mikael Mandron, a muscular forward with three loan spells under his belt, he handled the Frenchman well as United kept a priceless clean sheet against the league leaders.

RECORD BREAKER

As a 15-year-old, Williams broke a 25-year-old Ashton-on-Mersey school sprinting record set by Olympic gold medallist Darren Campbell, running 100 metres in fractionally under 11 seconds. “It was in a school race,” he said. “We were competing against the other forms and I managed to win and then found out I’d broken the record. I heard Darren sent out a tweet to congratulate me.”

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WILLIAMS WELL AHEAD OF SCHEDULE AT UNITED



Ro-Shaun Williams is the final interview in an exclusive five-part series focusing on Manchester United's young stars hoping for a big 2016/17 season...

It is remarkable to consider Ro-Shaun Williams is still eligible for another season of Under-18 Academy football as he is very much ahead of schedule in terms of his development.

The Manchester-born centre-back does not turn 18 until September 2016 and yet emerged as a key figure in the Under-21 title success last term, while also twice being named a first-team substitute for big home cup games against West Ham (FA Cup) and Liverpool (Europa League). A quiet personality who is maturing all the time on the field, he must deal with big expectations for the upcoming campaign.

While Williams is again likely to be called upon for FA Youth Cup action - as is the norm at United while a youngster still qualifies, regardless of his progress up the ladder - he will surely be looking upwards from the outset. "My aim is just to work hard and play for the Under-21s," he insisted. "Hopefully, I’ll have a solid season and see if I can push for the first team. I took in a lot of good experiences over the course of the season and can hopefully build on them next term."

By keeping his feet firmly on the ground, Williams displays the traits long associated with the club's youth products. He has seen his pals grasp their first-team chance and appreciates just how close he came to making his debut at such a young age. "It’s just about keeping your head down," he said. "Hopefully, it’s then a case of getting my opportunity and taking it. I was on the bench against West Ham first and it was just a great feeling. I was very happy. I was just a case of the atmosphere being different. You hear the crowd on the TV and when you’re in the stadium but you can’t really appreciate it. When you’re involved, the atmosphere just feels clearer and better."

The noise of the crowd would not have been anything new to the defender. He watches most of the games from the Stretford End, like his Academy colleagues, and it is all part of the learning process, absorbing the surroundings. "We go to all the first-team games at Old Trafford so we can learn stuff and it’s a case of getting used to being there," he admitted. "You see what you can learn from the game. You study different situations and different teams, and you watch the players in your own position. In my case, Daley Blind and Chris Smalling played well throughout the season – they were solid and kept lots of clean sheets."

Like Marcus Rashford and Cameron Borthwick-Jackson, Williams is another prospect to emerge from schoolboy side Fletcher Moss. Brought up in nearby Whalley Range as a United fan, he feels completely at ease with his local club and believes he is in the right place to continue his development.

"I probably used to spend more time here [at the Aon Training Complex] than with my parents as I was living in digs so I was always here with the boys - Axel [Tuanzebe], Marcus [Rashford] and the others," he said. "It’s just like home really."
When asked to rate his own season, which was pretty exceptional, Williams was honest enough to admit he still he has a long way to go. "It was good," he said. "It was quite a long season with a lot of hard work. I did a lot of good things but there are still many things I can improve on. It was a good experience winning the Under-21 league, away to Tottenham. We should have put the game to bed earlier as we went 2-0 up but they got back to 2-2. We won it in the true Manchester United way, with a last-minute goal. There is no better way to win the league than that."

Williams is not alone in crediting the work done by title-winning coach Warren Joyce and recognising the role he plays in young players' development.

"Warren pushes us every day in training," said Williams. "We are 100 per cent flat out in training so, when it comes to the games, everyone knows their roles and just go 100 per cent into the match until the very last minute. Warren is quite tough with everyone really but he’s a good manager because he gets the best out of players. When they do get to step up to the first team, they’re ready and it’s shown with Marcus, Cameron and Tim [Fosu-Mensah]. They’ve all gone up to the first team and done well."

You would get slim odds on Williams being one of the next in line for a senior debut if he can impress new United manager Jose Mourinho. As the teenager himself stresses, his first priority is to continue making his mark for Joyce's team and, after all, many of his peers are expected to be in Under-18 action in August. Whatever happens, the classy centre-back remains one to watch.

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Ro-Shaun Williams is an athletic defender whose sprinting prowess was well known locally, even before he had even made a real mark at Under-18 level.

Local newspapers covered the fact he broke Darren Campbell's 100-metre record at Ashton-upon-Mersey school, which had stood for 25 years, and he is never beaten for pace. Despite looking older, he was still a schoolboy last term so did remarkably well to rack up 27 appearances, all but one of them as a starter, more than any of those in his age group. His one goal was one he will savour as it came in the Manchester derby with the Reds running out 5-2 victors.

If central defensive partner Axel Tuanzebe does move up, he is a strong candidate for the captaincy having taken over the armband already at Under-18 level. Former Academy coach Paul McGuinness commented: "Ro-Shaun has good leadership skills. He has already captained our team."

As part of a well-organised and consistent defensive unit, he shone as United had one of the best records in terms of goal concession in the country en route to a fourth-placed finish overall. With plenty of experience of Academy football already under his belt, he can be well pleased with his progress.

ndeed, an England Under-18 call-up rewarded his form at the start of the 2015/16 season and he performed in a fine win in the Netherlands. Installed as the skipper for McGuinness's youngsters, he will have a big part to play this term.

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[alfiandrmwn]

Harus di pertahanin siapa tau bisa duet dengan Rashford

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Tinggal menunggu Mourinho saja nih apakah bakal memberinya kepercayaan atau justru meminjamkannya ke klub lain..

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WHO IS UNITED'S FASTEST YOUNG PLAYER?

One of the fastest players at Manchester United returned to action at the weekend when Ro-Shaun Williams captained the Under-18s in the 'mini-derby' against Manchester City.

The 2-0 defeat to City was Williams's first appearance of this season, after injury had delayed his bid to build on an excellent 2015/16 when the teenager even got as far as being named as a first-team substitute, for the home matches against West Ham in the FA Cup and Liverpool in the Europa League.

The centre-back spent a large part of the campaign with the title-winning Under-21 squad and often showcased his acceleration and natural athleticism - attributes which helped him to make local headlines a couple of years ago. In 2014, Williams broke the 100 metres sprint record at Ashton-on-Mersey School in Sale, a record that had been held for 25 years by Olympic relay gold-medalist - and famous United fan - Darren Campbell.

When asked recently by ManUtd.com whether he might have become a full-time sprinter instead of a footballer, Ro-Shaun replied: "No, never. I never really did athletics – it was just on my sports day at school. I was never pushed into it. I liked football more and played it all the time when I was younger."

You might think Williams's sprinting exploits as a schoolboy would make him a certainty for the title of speediest player at United but he claims there are others within the ranks who are even quicker than he is.

"We do speed testing and there are quite a lot of fast players in the squad," he explained.

"Tim [Fosu-Mensah] is fast, Axel [Tuanzebe] and Marcus [Rashford] - all of them are very fast so we have quite a good competition between us. We do it in the gym.

"Am I the quickest? [Laughs] No, Tim is probably the fastest!"

After completing 90 minutes for the Under-18s on Saturday, Williams will no doubt hope to be involved with the Reserves again soon - and to put his pace to good use in the new Premier League 2 competition.

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[Andi Istiabudi]

UNITED DEFENDER RULED OUT WITH KNEE INJURY

Manchester United's interim Reserves coach Nicky Butt has revealed promising centre-back Ro-Shaun Williams faces a spell on the sidelines due to a knee injury.

The 18-year-old will obviously not be rushed back but his absence will require others to step up to the plate at the heart of the defence. Regan Poole starts a three-match suspension when United face Everton in Premier League 2 on Monday night, live on MUTV, following his red card in the derby clash with Manchester City at the same level.

Williams, who has often partnered Sunday's first-team debutant Axel Tuanzebe in central defence in the younger age groups, has not played in the Reserves since November's draw at Reading.

"It's a blow for him because he was getting to the point where he was stepping up to be a regular in the Reserves team," Butt told ManUtd.com. "But you have these knock-backs as a footballer. He's still young and he's working hard to get back to fitness.

"I'm not sure about the length of his absence at the minute but there's no rush. We don't want to rush any young boy back to fitness as it's about the bigger picture with Ro-Shaun and any of our players who get injured."

Butt expects other members of his small Reserves squad to deputise for Williams and grasp their opportunity to impress.

"Regan's suspended so it's not ideal but we've got plenty of players who can step in," he added. "Tyrell Warren is doing well and Charlie Scott can play in there and do a good job. So we're okay, it's not too bad."

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[Andi Istiabudi]

Sayang sekali Williams gagal menembus tim utama United, semoga sukses di klub barunya...



WILLIAMS LEAVES UNITED IN PERMANENT MOVE

Manchester United defender Ro-Shaun Williams has moved to Shrewsbury Town on a permanent transfer for an undisclosed fee, signing a two-and-a-half year contract with his new club.

The 20-year-old local lad has been a stalwart of the Under-23s team, captaining Ricky Sbragia’s side on many occasions, and showing his leadership qualities at the heart of the defence.

After twice being on the bench for the first team in the 2015/16 season, he was also part of the senior tour to the United States last summer.

Williams rose through the ranks at United and gained valuable experience both domestically and in the UEFA Youth League.

United have previously dealt with the Shrews when sending keeper Dean Henderson there on loan in the 2017/18 campaign. The Montgomery Waters Meadow outfit are bidding to ensure they remain above the relegation zone in League One and have an FA Cup fourth-round replay against Wolves to look forward to next week.

Everybody at the club would like to wish Ro-Shaun the very best of luck for the next chapter of his career.

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