Manchester United have registered interest in Neco Williams, and the attraction is straightforward. He can cover both full-back roles, which is exactly the sort of flexibility clubs look for when they want depth without locking a squad into one profile. BBC Sport's Sami Mokbel said United are among the clubs to have shown interest while Nottingham Forest continue talks over a new contract.

Williams as a squad fit

Williams' route to this point is already well established. He came through the Liverpool academy, made 33 first-team appearances for Liverpool between January 2020 and January 2022, spent a six-month loan spell at Fulham, then left Liverpool permanently in summer 2022. Nottingham Forest paid £17million for him that summer, and he has gone on to make 160 appearances for the club.

The recent match data fits the same picture. Williams has played in five recent Forest matches, averaged 6.52 across that sample and posted a pair of 6.9 ratings. That is not the profile of a glamour move, but it is the kind of steady output that makes a utility defender useful in a squad built around rotation.

Manchester United's own numbers help explain why the link is there. United won four of their last five league matches in the sample, but they still look short of certainty across the full-back group. Diogo Dalot appears in five recent-match entries in the sample, while Noussair Mazraoui has six appearances in the season aggregate.

Forest's contract position

The other side of the story is less simple for United. Mokbel said Williams is in talks over a new deal at the City Ground, and that a number of Forest's top-flight rivals are also keen on the 25-year-old. BBC Sport's reading is that Forest are confident he will stay by agreeing fresh terms, even with United and Newcastle circling.

That makes this an interest story, not a transfer that is anywhere near done. TeamTalk also report Transfermarkt value Williams at €28m/£24m, though they say Forest would likely want a much bigger fee if formal talks begin. For now, the clearest point is that United are looking at a player who can help on either side of defence, and Forest are already trying to keep him before the market gets more serious.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →