Ruben Amorim

Athletic Club v United: Teams confirmed

Thursday 01 May 2025 18:45

Manchester United’s side to face Athletic Club in the Europa League semi-final first leg has been revealed.

Ruben Amorim has opted to make two changes to the team which drew 1-1 at Bournemouth on Sunday.

Victor Lindelof replaces Luke Shaw as one of the three central defenders, with Shaw named on the bench after playing the full 90 minutes at the Vitality Stadium.

“We had to take [out] Luke Shaw from the last game because we have to manage our players,” explained the boss.

“Vic is a player that is really good on the ball also, he’s really experienced.”

The other alteration is in midfield, where Manuel Ugarte comes in for Kobbie Mainoo to partner Casemiro.

Your 10-minute guide to Athletic Club v United Video

Your 10-minute guide to Athletic Club v United

Got 10 minutes to spare? Mark Sullivan, Ben Thornley and Harry Robinson provide an exhaustive guide to Thursday’s game…

Mainoo, who scored in the remarkable 5-4 comeback win over Lyon in the last round, is also an option as a substitute for Amorim.

“Ugarte we played in the last game against Lyon and they combined quite well [in midfield]. We want a bit of stability in this moment, in this game.

“They are a team that want to press really high so we put a team that can cope with that.”

Rasmus Hojlund leads the line after scoring on the south coast and another goal would take him to double figures for the season. The Dane has five strikes to his name in this competition, although all of them came during the league phase.

As Amorim hinted on Wednesday, Amad and Matthijs de Ligt could play a part later in the game as they have been named among the substitutes.

Jonny Evans is not on the bench, as his return from injury is being managed carefully, while the ineligible Sekou Kone and Chido Obi are the other members of the group who haven’t been included in the matchday squad.

UNITED XI

Onana; Lindelof, Maguire, Yoro; Mazraoui, Ugarte, Casemiro, Dorgu; Garnacho, Fernandes (c); Hojlund.

Substitutes: Bayindir, Heaton, Amass, De Ligt, Fredricson, Shaw, Kamason, Eriksen, Mainoo, Mount, Amad, Mantato.

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ATHLETIC CLUB

Agirrezabala; De Marcos (c), Vivian, Yeray, Berchiche; Jauregizar, Galarreta; I.Williams, Berenguer, N.Williams; Sannadi.

Substitutes: Simon, Gorosabel, Paredes, Vesga, Djalo, Guruzeta, Nunez, Lekue, Unai Gomez, Prados, Canales, Boiro.

WATCH MATCH DAY LIVE

We have crews in Bilbao and at Old Trafford, who are on air bringing you exclusive build-up to Thursday night's game from 18:55 BST.

MUTV subscribers can watch along via the linear channel, on ManUtd.com or in the United App.

Join Liam Bradford and Sammy McIlroy for live radio commentary during the game itself and don't forget to check the app for live text updates and in-depth statistics.

Come on United!

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