Update: Athletic Bilbao hatch Man United Europa League semi-final plan amid Nico Williams injury News

Latest Manchester United news as Athletic Bilbao’s training schedule emerges for the next two weeks ahead of the Europa League semi-final

Manchester United’s Europa League semi-final opponents, Athletic Bilbao, are reportedly preparing for next week’s first-leg in Spain with a specific training schedule.

Bilbao will welcome United to the San Mames Stadium on Thursday May 1 before travelling to Old Trafford the following week. The two teams will fight it out for a place in the Europa League final at the end of May.

United are next in action at the end of this week when they make the trip to AFC Bournemouth before facing Bilbao four days later. For their opponents, Ernesto Valverde’s men play on Wednesday before enjoying an eight-day break.

Bilbao take on Las Palmas this week before having a free weekend. Spanish outlet Marca has revealed how the club are preparing for the European semi-final with an interesting method in place.

The report explains how Valverde’s men will have two training sessions before Wednesday night with Nico Williams a concern. The Spain international missed Sunday’s 1-0 loss to Real Madrid due to a groin problem and it’s claimed that he could sit out of the Las Palmas game to ensure he’s not only fit to face United, but ‘in top condition’ for the clash.

A training session will take place on Thursday before the players will have two days off. Focus will then turn to the visit of United with four training sessions focused on Ruben Amorim’s men.

Williams is an integral part of Bilbao’s set-up and is one of the danger players United will be looking to keep quiet. The Spain international has scored five goals and assisted another five in the Europa League.

“It’s something he’s been carrying for a short time and it didn’t come on suddenly,” Valverde told Marca when asked about William’s groin problem. “We hope to recover for these upcoming matches. It’s true that the season is long and we have to get to the end.

“We’re in the final stretch and it shows because we always have to be at 100%, but physically, my team is a guarantee.”

Here at The Manchester Evening News, we are dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester United coverage and analysis.

Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest United news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe.

You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day’s biggest stories.

And, finally, if you would rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Manchester is Red podcast, featuring The Samuel Luckhurst Show and The Midweek Debate. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and you can also watch along on YouTube.