Athletic Club have confirmed that star forward Nico Williams has picked up a groin injury ahead of their Europa League semi-final tie with Manchester United.
United booked their place in the last four after staging a dramatic comeback against Lyon at Old Trafford. Ruben Amorim’s men had a comfortable two-goal lead by half-time but this advantage was wiped away as Corentin Tolisso and Nicolas Tagliafico struck in the second half to force the game into extra time.
Lyon were reduced to 10 men but this didn’t matter, as they still managed to score twice, through Rayan Cherki and Alexander Lacazette. It looked like United were dead and buried but a Bruno Fernandes penalty kick in the 114th minute set the ball rolling for a brilliant turnaround.
Kobbie Mainoo then curled in a superb shot in the 120th minute to make it 4-4 on the night and 6-6 on aggregate. Seconds later and with a penalty shootout looming, Harry Maguire towered over the Lyon defence to head in a cross from Casemiro.
United will face Athletic in the semis, with the first leg taking place on May 1 at Estadio de San Mamés.
Ahead of the mouth-watering fixture, Athletic have issued a statement, confirming star forward Nico Williams has suffered a groin injury.
Williams will miss Sunday’s La Liga meeting with Real Madrid and now faces fitness uncertainty with the United game on the horizon.
On Saturday, a club statement read: “Nico Williams will not travel to Madrid for the match against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium due to groin pain. The outcome is pending.”
Williams has been a pivotal figure for Athletic in recent years, and if he’s ruled out against United, it would be a significant blow for the Basque outfit – but one less headache for Ruben Amorim.
After a slow start to the season following Euro 2024, Williams has sparked to life in the past few games. In the last 15 matches, the 22-year-old has scored nine goals and provided two assists.
The Spanish winger has notched 11 goals and seven assists in 42 appearances across all competitions.
Meanwhile, United are back in action on Sunday when they host Wolverhampton Wanderers. Kick-off is at 14:00 BST.
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Derick Kinoti
Derick Kinoti is a football writer at The Peoples Person who has covered Manchester United and the game extensively for many years. He is a keen analyst with expertise in SEO and journalism standards. Derick is convinced Wayne Rooney is the true GOAT and won’t hear otherwise!
