Bilbao vs Man United: Why Amorim Has Included Two Players Despite Europa League Ban
- Manchester United has included two ineligible players in their squad that will face Athletic Bilbao in the Europa League
- Ruben Amorim's side will be in Spain for the first leg of the semi-finals before the return leg at Old Trafford next week
- The Europa League is the only route United have at salvaging a terrible season that could see them finish 17th in the Premier League
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Manchester United will continue with their bid to ensure they finish their season on a high when they travel to Spain.
Source: Getty Images
Ruben Amorim will lead out his side at the Estadio de San Mames to take on Athletic Bilbao in the first leg of the Europa League semi-finals on Thursday evening.
Manchester United's squad to face Athletic Bilbao
The Portuguese head coach has named a somewhat surprising squad that will play in the first leg. There was a welcome sight in Wednesday's session as Amad Diallo and Matthijs de Ligt returned to training.
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Diallo has been out since February with an ankle injury, while de Ligt has missed a month or so with a similar issue. The duo have been included in the squad, but whether or not they will be involved immediately remains to be seen.
The other important part is the inclusion of Chido Obi-Martin and Sekou Kone. The two will travel to San Mames despite being ineligible to play in the Europa League. The two were not registered in the A-list for the competition and since they only joined the club this season, they cannot be included in the B-list either.
Why has Manchester United included ineligible players in Europa League squad?
However, the duo has been included in the trip as United intend to remain in Spain and train there on Friday.
Normally, squads return to their countries after the game, but United intend to stay overnight, train in Spain before returning to Manchester later on Friday evening ahead of their Premier League game against Brentford this weekend.
"The rest of the players, we have a game tomorrow, then we have to train here Friday, so we need to prepare not just this game, but also prepare the next game against Brentford. So we took a lot of, especially young kids, to prepare for the next game,” explained Amorim, as captured on Manchester United's website.
Source: Getty Images
Who is unavailable for Manchester United against Bilbao?
Amorim will have to make do without Diogo Dalot, who has a calf injury. While the Portuguese fullback is expected to return soon, Joshua Zirkzee and Lisandro Martinez have been ruled out for the rest of the season.
Manchester United's season so far
The Red Devils are almost certain to finish in the bottom half of the Premier League this season and the only way they can make meaning of the season is by winning Europe's second-fiddle competition.
It has been another disappointing season for United, who were forced to change coaches midseason, sacking Erik ten Hag to break Amorim from his Sporting Lisbon contract.
Who can Manchester United face in the Europa League final?
If they beat Bilbao over the two legs, United will face one of Tottenham or Bodo/Glimt in the May 21 final, which will coincidentally be held at the Bilbao stadium. The winner of the Europa League will qualify for the Champions League.
Manuel Ugarte, who conducted the pre-match interview alongside Amorim, insisted that although it was vital for them to win the Europa League, the trophy wouldn't save the shambolic season they had.
“As the head coach said, this is not going to save the season, but the history of United is winning titles, and the Europa League is quite important. We’re focused on tomorrow. We also want to get into the Champions League, so it’s very important, and altogether we’re going to try and win.”
Kipchoge backs Man United to rediscover form
In a separate report, Eliud Kipchoge explained why Manchester United will be back at their best.
The GOAT of road running, who has a close relationship with United owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, backed the club to rediscover their lost glory.
The double Olympic champion was hosted at Manchester United's training base last year.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
