Athletic Bilbao star Inaki Williams sends ‘fight to the end’ message to Manchester United

Athletic Bilbao forward Inaki Williams has vowed that his side will fight to the very end in their UEFA Europa League semi-final tie against Manchester United, despite falling to a heavy defeat in the first leg.

Manchester United took a commanding 3-0 lead in the opening leg played in Spain on Thursday night, thanks to a goal from Casemiro and a brace from Bruno Fernandes, putting Erik ten Hag’s side firmly in the driving seat ahead of the return leg at Old Trafford.

But Williams, 30, believes the tie is far from over and has pointed to Manchester United’s shaky second-leg showing against Lyon in the quarter-finals as a source of hope for his team.

“We were not very sharp, and there’s no need for excuses,” Williams admitted in his post-match interview. “We are 3-0 down, but we believe in ourselves. Lyon gave them a hard time at Old Trafford, and we are going there to do the same.”

The Ghanaian international insists Bilbao’s season-long efforts cannot go unrewarded and called on the fans to keep faith with the team as they chase a place in the final.

“The work of the entire season speaks for itself. We are in the final stretch of our dream. Our fans have always been behind us, and we are going to give it our all in the second leg,” he added.

The second leg is set for next week in Manchester, where Athletic Bilbao will hope for a dramatic turnaround to keep their Europa League hopes alive.