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All the latest Manchester United news as Ruben Amorim prepares for a difficult end to the season
Athletic Bilbao have been given a huge injury boost ahead of their clash against Manchester United in the UEFA Europa League semi-final. The Basque outfit will host Ruben Amorim’s side at the San Mames Stadium on Thursday, May 1, before locking horns at Old Trafford in the second leg a week later.
In the meantime, Athletic Bilbao have been gearing up to face Las Palmas. Ernesto Valverde’s side will be determined to return to winning ways on Wednesday night after losing 1-0 to Real Madrid at the weekend.
Unfortunately for Los Leones, they were without Nico Williams, who was recovering from an injury. An official statement from the club revealed that the 22-year-old winger was nursing a sports hernia.
Speaking to reporters following Athletic Bilbao’s defeat to Real Madrid, Valverde said: “It’s something he’s been carrying for a short time, and it didn’t come on suddenly.
“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 per cent, but physically, my team is a guarantee.”
Despite missing the trip to the Santiago Bernabeu, Williams appears to be available for selection again. The Basque outfit has named the Spain international in their 24-man squad for Wednesday evening’s clash against Las Palmas in La Liga.
His older brother, Iñaki, has also been called up by Valverde. The 30-year-old forward has been nursing a hamstring strain injury recently, missing Athletic Bilbao’s 2-0 win over Rangers in the second leg of the UEFA Europa League quarterfinal.
Following a 3-1 win over Rayo Vallecano last weekend, Valverde said: “It’s true that he had a slight discomfort and I didn’t want him to continue just in case. We had to avoid a dangerous situation.
“So I decided to tell him to leave the pitch without a substitute to replace him. If you’re on the pitch, there’s always a chance that you make a run, and the problem can be bigger.”
Williams has previewed Athletic Bilbao’s tie against United – and he can’t wait to play at Old Trafford. Speaking to Spanish outlet Diario AS, the winger said: “Every kid wants to play at Old Trafford.
“We have the goal of winning the Europa League in our sights, and for next year, we want to crush it in the Champions League! Little by little. I think our motto of going through each round has been to keep it ‘on the down low’ as the best way to go.
“We’re doing very well, and we need to continue like this to reach the final. The Estadio San Mames deserves it [us in the final there] more than anyone. We’ve done very well to reach the semi-final as we wanted.
“Now, it’s just one more step to the final, and hopefully we can get there…”
Published: 2025-04-23 11:30:00 | Author: [email protected] (Jake Stokes) | Source: MEN – Sport
Link: www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Tags: #Man #United #Athletic #Bilbao #injury #update #Ruben #Amorim #faces #Europa #League #problem
