By Chris O'Brien
May 20 2004

Manchester United have released young trio Ben Williams, James Jowsey and Neil Wood. The three will officially leave Old Trafford when their contracts expire at the end of June. Manchester United will release three youngsters when their contracts officially end on June 30th.

Goalkeeping duo Ben Williams and James Jowsey plus teenage striker Neil Wood will not have contracts renewed for next seasons, and will be able to join new clubs when they wish.

All three players have shown a lot of promise during their time at Old Trafford, but have been unable to break into first-team reckoning, so Sir Alex Ferguson feels it will be best for both parties if they find new employment.

Williams failed to register a senior appearance for the Red Devils, but did spend 5 consecutive games on the bench at the start of last season when the club was suffering from a goalkeeping injury crisis. The 22-year-old now looks likely to sign for Crewe Alexandra, having spent a successful loan spell with the Cheshire outfit in the latter part of this season. Dario O’Gradi made no secret of the fact he wanted to extend the loan deal with United, but with Williams now available on a free transfer, the Railywaymen could have a new permanent goalkeeper on their books by the start of next season.

Neil Wood has also been away from Old Trafford, spending some time with Lancastrian rivals Burnley. The forward, who also has made no appearances for United, netted once in 11 appearances for the Clarets, and also enjoyed a loan spell with Peterborough United earlier in the campaign, scoring 1 goal in 3 games under Barry Fry. A legion of Football League clubs are expected to express interest in the attacker from a whole host of Football League clubs.

James Jowsey is a young goalkeeper who had shown a lot of potential when he first arrived at the club, but has failed to make an impact. Some solid performances for the youth and reserves will mean the shot stopper is unlikely to have any problems in finding a new club.

Many thanks to all three for their service, and ManUtdWeb would like to wish them all good luck for the future.