Athletic Club injury & suspension news for Europa League 2024-25 semi-final second-leg vs Manchester United

Rajarshi has been part of Khel Now since 2022, and he covers world football.

Published at :May 7, 2025 at 5:53 PM

Modified at :May 7, 2025 at 5:53 PM

The Spanish club are already trailing 3-0 going into the second leg.

Prior to the second leg of their Europa League semi-final matchup with Manchester United, Athletic Club have been dealt a triple injury blow. Top scorer Oihan Sancet, Nico Williams, and Inaki Williams are all sidelined.

Ernesto Valverde announced that Inaki Williams, who has 11 goals and nine assists this season, has a hamstring problem. It prevented him, along with the other two, from being included in the 24-man travelling squad on Wednesday morning.

Nico, his younger brother who has also scored eleven goals, has been battling a groin issue. Due to a hamstring injury, Sancet, who leads the league with 17 goals, was unable to return in time for the rematch after missing last week’s first leg.

Now, the Spanish club’s hopes of a comeback appear slim as their top attacking threat is going to miss the game. It is a huge blow for them.

The trio formed a brilliant partnership in the attacking line, and their chemistry on the pitch has helped Bilbao find the back of the net easily.

But their absence will certainly hurt the visitors as they will be without three key players, who could have made a big impact. Now, Valverde will have to put a different quality attacking line in order to revive any hopes of a comeback against United.

After a 3-0 victory in the first leg last week in Bilbao, thanks to goals from Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro, United have already been favoured to reach the final.

They can salvage their season by winning the trophy in the final despite their embarrassing campaign in the Premier League.

In an attempt to overcome a large deficit, Athletic Club travelled to Manchester on Wednesday morning in advance for a training session at Old Trafford.

The home field of the Basque team, San Mames, will host this year’s Europa League final. The other semi-final pits Bodo/Glimt against Tottenham, with the Norwegian team behind 3-1.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Telegram.

Rajarshi Shukla

After earning a bachelor's degree in mass media, Rajarshi began his career as a sports writer in 2019, driven by his passion for sports journalism. He has been working in the field for over six years. A devoted fan of Lionel Messi and Barcelona, Rajarshi has been involved in sports since childhood. Before turning his focus to journalism, he even represented his college at the state level. Along with covering football, he enjoys playing the game, watching movies, and experimenting with new recipes in his spare time, as cooking is one of his favorite hobbies.