'No': Ruben Amorim says £68m Man Utd duo won't start vs Athletic Bilbao

Manchester United take on Athletic Bilbao in the first leg of the Europa League semi-final on the road tonight.

The Red Devils have had a dismal Premier League campaign. They have accumulated only 39 points from 34 games.

However, the club have fared exceptionally well in the Europa League.

They can directly qualify for the league phase of next season’s Champions League by winning the competition.

Ahead of the first leg of the semi-final, manager Ruben Amorim was posed with plenty of questions by the media.

One of those focused on Amad Diallo and Matthijs de Ligt, who have travelled with the squad to the Basque Country.

The duo, valued at £68 million by Transfermarkt, recently returned to full training after respective injuries, but Amorim clarified that neither will start against Athletic.

He said via Manutd.com: “To start, no. But they can be in the squad for the game and the rest of the players we have a game tomorrow then we have to train here Friday.

“We need to prepare and play not just this game, but also prepare the next game against Brentford, so we took a lot of especially young kids to prepare the next game.”

United have limited options in the attacking third. Marcus Rashford (currently injured) and Antony were sent out on loan to Aston Villa and Real Betis respectively in the last transfer window.

Joshua Zirkzee has been ruled out for the campaign with a hamstring injury. Chido Obi has travelled with the team to Spain, but the 17-year-old was not registered for the knock-out phase.

Rasmus Hojlund and Alejandro Garnacho are poised to start against Athletic. Bruno Fernandes is set to partner Garnacho in attacking midfield. Manuel Ugarte and Casemiro could start in the centre of the park.

Kobbie Mainoo impressed from the left number 10 role prior to his injury and should be an option for Amorim. The Portuguese may handle Amad with caution after his lengthy lay-off.

Amad has not played competitive football for 10 weeks after damaging his ankle ligaments in training in February and could be restricted to a 15-minute cameo.

De Ligt could see more minutes, having been on the sidelines for a month with a knock. The Dutchman could feature after the hour mark if Amorim plans a change in the back three.

United progressed to the last four after a 7-6 aggregate win over Lyon. It included a dramatic 5-4 victory at Old Trafford where they were trailing 4-2 in the closing stages of extra-time.

The Red Devils made a sensational comeback but need to be defensively better against Athletic, who have the best defensive record in La Liga with just 26 goals conceded from 33 games.

The club have received a big boost with Athletic’s top scorer Oihan Sancet out injured, but they need to be wary of Nico Williams’ threat, who can turn games around on his own.

Anything other than a defeat would be a positive ahead of the return leg at Old Trafford next week.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com

Article written by Sri Aswin .