He has been described as “distant” by sources who had worked around the player during his career, someone who had emerged from a tough upbringing in Manchester but retained the “streetfighter” instinct, which was initially praised by pundits such as Gary Neville.
This attitude has served Williams well on the football field – but less so away from the pitch.
While there are no reports of of him turning up late for training or behaving particularly badly, it was felt he was always “on the edge of something” – former coaches have told Sport.
When making the breakthrough from academy player to the first-team under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in 2019 – usurping England defender Luke Shaw – Williams was hailed in some quarters as the potenial successor to the United great Neville.
He went on to make 51 appearances for the club and featured in the Champions League.
The court heard his career turned around the outbreak of Covid pandemic in March 2020.
Williams himself has admitted the difficulty in trying to take part in United training sessions on Zoom. He was still living with his parents and was amazed at the size of some of the homes his team-mates had and the space it afforded them.
The court was told how Williams had isolated himself, which had affected his mental health. Moving away from his family, it was said by sources who worked with him, also took away the support network that kept him grounded.
In podcast interviews given recently, including one with former goalkeeper Ben Foster, Williams spoke about his spell at Ipswich when things “were starting to go crazy off the pitch, with friends and stuff like that”.
He said: “I ended up coming back to Manchester, sorted a lot of things out. Things got worse…
“I go into this mode where I just don’t care. I have this switch where I don’t care what happens. They [family and friends] wanted me to get back to football but they could see I’d fallen out of love with.
“It hurts me watching football now because I just want to be there, I just want to play. I miss being in a team, on the coach, travelling to games, having meals together and just doing things.
“I want to have that feeling again of winning and being around the changing room environment.”
This, in part, offers an explanation for his behaviour on the night of the incident which Williams accepted was “stupid”, that he had no defence for and which he now regrets.
Defending Williams in court, Richard Littler said the player regretted his actions.
It was also said Williams was prepared to deal with any punishment imposed by the court, which could have been an 18-month jail term.
“In his report, the probation officer described him as a young man who is genuine in his realisation of the gravity of his actions,” said Littler.
“He told him it was underpinned by lack of maturity, stupidity and trying to be ostentatious.”
Williams admitted to the probation officer that he had “been driving like an idiot” and thought he had insurance but didn’t.
At the time, Williams had eight endorsements on his licence and had previously been disqualified under the totting up procedure.
In issuing his decision, Judge Eric Lamb said Williams received credit for a guilty plea but showed “deliberate disregard” for the safety of others.
He has been described to Sport by several sources as a young man who was not particularly responsible or had any deep understanding of the wider demands of his profession.
However the court also heard how Williams had been working with two fitness coaches, including O’Shea, in the hope of landing a new contract this summer.
“In the last few years, Brandon Williams has had to live with significant mental health and neurological issues,” Littler said.
“He is in a better shape mentally and physically right now.”
