Athletic Bilbao learn top goalscorer injury timeframe before crunch Man Utd clash
Athletic Club attacking midfielder Oihan Sancet recently picked up an injury and will definitely miss the first leg vs Manchester United and is even a doubt for the return at Old Trafford
Athletic Club top goalscorer Oihan Sancet has been ruled out of this week's Europa League semi-final first leg clash against Manchester United. The Spaniard recently picked up a muscle injury in the 1-0 La Liga win over Las Palmas and was forced off after just 22 minutes.
Sancet has been undergoing various tests to determine the extent of the damage and it's bad news for Athletic Club as he will miss Thursday's showdown with United at San Mames. Crucially, he is also a doubt for the second leg at Old Trafford on Thursday May 8 in a major setback for Ernesto Valverde.
The 25-year-old has mustered 17 goals and three assists in all competitions this season despite battling several hamstring problems. He missed three La Liga matches at the start of March with a hamstring problem and his minutes have been carefully managed since, however, he aggravated the issue and suffered mild damage against Las Palmas.
Bilbao reached the semi-finals after defeating Rangers 2-0 in the quarter-finals and they are determined to reach the final as it's being played at their home ground. Meanwhile, United are set to be without Diogo Dalot and Joshua Zirkzee as their seasons are now over due to injury.
Ruben Amorim's side scored a late equaliser at Bournemouth through Rasmus Hojlund on Sunday to earn a morale-boosting draw ahead of the crucial trip to Spain. Amorim claimed after the match that there are key similarities between the way Bournemouth and Bilbao defend.
The Portuguese head coach is adamant his side must improve if they are to reach the Europa League final, where United could yet meet Tottenham. He said following the 1-1 draw at the Vitality Stadium: "Was one point, we could do better. We created chances, but we need to do better near the box. It is small things.
"We have to understand the foot that is in play, crossing, one v ones. We need to understand the game in that way. Today we pushed our opponent, especially after the sending off. We had the chances, but again we didn't score.
"The way Bournemouth defend is quite similar to [Bilbao]. We can take things from this game. But again, it is a new history, and we must do better."
United's record against Athletic Club does not make for pleasant reading given they have lost three of their four meetings with the Basques. Sir Alex Ferguson's United side were beaten in both legs [3-2 and 2-1] the last time the two teams met in the Europa League back in March 2012.
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