Manchester United confront a crucial encounter with Athletic Club in the Europa League.
Ruben Amorim’s team is no longer concentrating on local issues, as their poor Premier League ranking of 14th indicates they can’t secure European qualification via the league. This indicates that triumphing in the Europa League is their sole opportunity to salvage an extremely disappointing season.
Triumph across both legs against Ernesto Valverde’s team will secure a spot in the final on May 21, where they will compete against either Tottenham Hotspur or Bodo/Glimt. If Amorim’s team wins, they would then have the opportunity to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
Here is the most recent update on Athletic Club’s injury status prior to their significant semi-final match against United…
Nico Williams
The primary worry for Athletic has been the lack of Nico Williams. The 22-year-old is among Europe’s top talents and ranks as his club’s second-highest goalscorer while being tied for second in assists this season.
However, in a significant advantage for Bilbao, Williams seems to be eligible for selection once more. The Basque team has included the Spain international in their lineup for the Wednesday night match against Las Palmas in La Liga.
In his press conference after the loss to Real Madrid on Sunday, Bilbao manager Valverde mentioned Williams, stating: “It’s an issue he’s been dealing with for a little while, and it didn’t appear out of nowhere.”
“We aim to regain our form for the forthcoming matches.” It’s a fact that the season is lengthy, and we must reach the conclusion.
“We’re in the final leg and it’s evident since we must always perform at 100%, but physically, my team is reliable.”
Oihan Sancet
Midfielder Oihan Sancet was substituted due to injury after 22 minutes in Wednesday’s match against Las Palmas.
The 24-year-old has been an essential contributor for Athletic this season, scoring 17 goals and providing three assists in all competitions. It remains uncertain if he will be available for the match against United.
Yuri Berchiche
Left-back Yuri Berchiche is another individual Athletic Club has needed to handle carefully recently.
On April 9, he played 34 minutes in a La Liga match against Villarreal before succumbing to a ‘moderate’ calf injury. He would subsequently miss both matches against Rangers and the one in between against Rayo Vallecano.
Valverde chose to leave the 35-year-old on the bench for the full match against Real Madrid, but he will begin in Wednesday’s game against Las Palmas, just before Man United arrives.
Yeray Alvarez
Yeray Alvarez, a central defender, has faced ongoing fitness problems during 2025 up to this point. Efforts are underway to handle this before the Europa League semi-finals.
Most recently, an adductor problem kept him from playing against Villarreal earlier this month, but the 30-year-old came back to compete in both legs of the quarter-final versus Rangers.
In the center, he stayed on the bench against Rayo, and the same occurred on Easter Sunday at the Santiago Bernabeu. He has been included in Valverde’s starting lineup for the match against Las Palmas.