23-year-old player fell on the field and left the match in the 37th minute of the first half of Athletic Bilbao’s 1-0 defeat to Valencia
The attacker Nico Williams, starter for the Spain national teamsuffered a muscle injury in left thigh this Sunday and became doubt for the World Cup dispute. The 23-year-old player fell on the field and left the match in the 37th minute of the first half in the match in which his team, Athletic Bilbao, lost to Valencia 1-0. He was replaced by his brother, Iñaki.
Nico Williams spent part of the season recovering from pubalgia and, in the previous round, he scored twice and provided an assist in the 4-2 victory against Alavés. The expectation of continuing the good phase in front of their fans, at the San Mamés Stadium, ended in concern.
“He told me that he had never felt this discomfort before and now he is limping,” Iñaki said of his brother.
Nico will pass by medical exams this Monday to determine the severity of the injury, which happens about a month before the World Cup and less than two weeks before the Spain coach’s call-upLuis de la Fuente. Even if the injury doesn’t take the striker out of the World Cup, Nico is likely to miss the rest of La Liga, in which Athletic Bilbao faces Espanyol, Celta de Vigo and Real Madrid.
One of the favorites for the World Cup title, Spain is already concerned about Lamine Yamalwho is also recovering from a muscle injury that ruled him out of Barcelona’s match against Celta on April 22. Spain is in Group H of the World Cup, alongside Uruguay, Saudi Arabia and debutant Cape Verde.
