'I hope we do': Nico Williams sends message to Man Utd before Europa League semi-final

Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams has sent a message ahead of the Europa League semi-final against Manchester United.

The Red Devils progressed to the last four of the competition after a 7-6 aggregate victory over Lyon in the quarter-final.

United secured a stunning 5-4 comeback win against Les Gones at Old Trafford in the second leg on Thursday evening.

Athletic, on the other hand, qualified after a 2-0 aggregate triumph over Scottish club Rangers.

United will now travel to the Estadio de San Mames for the first leg of the semi-final on May 1. They will host Athletic on May 8.

Ahead of those fixtures, Williams has said every kid dreams of playing at Old Trafford.

The Spanish star added that Athletic made history there with Iker Muniain’s goal (2012) and hopes the team can repeat the feat.

He told journalist Endika Martinez: “It’s a dream. Every kid wants to play at Old Trafford.

“Athletic made history there with Muniain’s goal and I hope we do well.”

Athletic have fond memories of facing United. They secured a brilliant 5-3 aggregate win over United in the Europa League round of 16 in 2012.

This included a shock 3-2 victory at Old Trafford. Muniain, a legend at the Basque outfit, stood out in that game, scoring a 90th-minute goal.

Williams, who has 18 goal contributions for Athletic this campaign, will aim to do something similar to take the La Liga club to another final.

United struggled to cope with Lyon’s Rayan Cherki, who scored in both legs of the quarter-final.

Williams is a much bigger threat with his quicker dribbling and direct running. United must restrict his involvement to come on top in the tie.

The Euro 2024 winner has been heavily linked with a Premier League move. United have the chance to monitor his displays from close quarters.

However, the club’s faithful will hope the 22-year-old has a couple of off-days.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com

Article written by Sri Aswin .