Manchester United’s hopes of salvaging their season rest almost entirely on the Europa League after a frustrating domestic campaign that has left the club languishing outside the top four.
A 1-1 draw with Bournemouth last weekend only reaffirmed the narrative that United’s Premier League season is essentially over, with INEOS shifting focus to European success and future squad planning.
Ruben Amorim has already indicated that pre-season evaluations for fringe and youth players will begin early, with key decisions being made on summer outgoings and long-term roles at Old Trafford.
The Europa League now represents not only a path to silverware but also a crucial ticket to next season’s Champions League—a competition Sir Jim Ratcliffe considers essential to his rebuild ambitions.
And ahead of a difficult tie against Athletic Bilbao, Amorim has received a much-needed boost.
Amad Diallo and Matthijs de Ligt have both returned from injury and have been included in the 26-man travelling squad for Thursday’s quarter-final clash in the Basque Country.
Both players trained at Carrington on Wednesday morning and boarded the flight to Spain later that afternoon.
Amad has been sidelined since February with an ankle injury and was initially feared to be out for the season, but the winger’s rapid recovery means he could feature from the bench in Bilbao.
CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE CENTRE DEVILS WHATSAPP GROUP CHAT NOW!
De Ligt, who last played in the 1-1 draw against Nottingham Forest on April 1, also makes his return and may be in line for some minutes as Amorim rotates his backline amid a tight fixture schedule.
Youngsters Bendito Mantato, Sekou Kone and Jaydan Kamason have all been named in the squad and are tipped to be handed senior debuts either on Thursday or in the weekend’s game against Brentford.
Interestingly, Chido Obi also travels despite being ineligible for the Europa League, hinting that Amorim sees value in involving the forward in senior matchday preparations.
United will remain in Spain to train through Friday in preparation for Brentford, and Amorim is expected to address the media with Manuel Ugarte at Wednesday evening’s press conference.
With Athletic Bilbao boasting La Liga’s strongest defensive record, this will be one of United’s sternest challenges under Amorim so far—made marginally easier by the timely returns of Amad and De Ligt.
Goalkeepers: Onana, Bayindir, Heaton.
Defenders: Amass, De Ligt, Dorgu, Evans, Fredricson, Kamason, Lindelof, Maguire, Mazraoui, Shaw, Yoro.
Midfielders: Casemiro, Eriksen, Fernandes, Kone, Mainoo, Mount, Ugarte.
Forwards: Amad, Mantato, Garnacho, Hojlund, Obi.
CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE CENTRE DEVILS WHATSAPP GROUP CHAT NOW!
