McWilliams left in limbo by Rotherham after mystery injury
Cobblers academy product Shaun McWilliams has been left in limbo by Rotherham United after he was neither offered a new deal nor released by the club.
McWilliams, now 27, came through Northampton’s youth system and played 200 times for the club but opted to part ways in the summer of 2024, subsequently joining the Millers on an initial two-year deal. The midfielder did not feature in the final two months of the season due to injury and must now wait to discover what his future holds.
Managerless Rotherham, who will join Cobblers in League Two next season, hold 12-month options on both McWilliams and Dru Yearwood and no decisions have been made on either when they announced their retained list on Friday. “An assessment has been made on both players’ futures,” the club stated. “But the final decision will be delayed to allow the individual appointed to the managerial hotseat the opportunity to have their say before the paperwork is formally submitted.”
McWilliams struggled with injury throughout his time at Sixfields and his luck has not improved much since. He was sidelined at different stages of the 2025/26 season by hamstring, groin and calf problems.
Speaking recently, Rotherham assistant manager Dale Tonge said: “We're still trying to get to the bottom of it, if I'm entirely honest. Shaun's had a couple of issues and he's not really been training for the past few weeks. It's about trying to get to the bottom of it and making sure that he isn't right just for Saturdays but is ready for Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday.”
Joe Powell, another ex-Cobbler, is also out of contract at Rotherham this summer and the club say ‘discussions are being held and considerations are being made on’ the midfielder’s future.