Man United duo Amad Diallo, Matthijs de Ligt return, could either start for the Red Devils against Athletic Bilbao?

Manchester United have been handed a huge double boost ahead of Thursday's Europa League semi-final first leg against Athletic Bilbao, with Amad Diallo and Matthijs de Ligt both taking part in first-team training.

Amad was initially ruled out for the remainder of the 2024-25 campaign with the serious ankle injury that he suffered in February, but the Ivory Coast international has made excellent progress in his recovery.

De Ligt, meanwhile, has been on the sidelines since the start of the month with a foot injury.

The pair took part in Man United's training session on Wednesday morning, though, and it is possible that both could be in the squad that heads to Spain for the European showdown with Athletic at San Mames.

The first-team squad will be confirmed later on Wednesday, while head coach Ruben Amorim will speak to the media in the evening, when he will be questioned on both Amad and De Ligt ahead of the team's biggest match of the season.

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Amad, De Ligt train with Man United ahead of Athletic clash

Man United will definitely be missing Lisandro Martinez, Joshua Zirkzee and Diogo Dalot for the European contest, while Toby Collyer is also expected to be absent due to a muscular problem.

Ayden Heaven was also unavailable to train, as he recovers from a foot injury, so the ex-Arsenal youngster will again be out.

The returns of Amad and De Ligt are major boosts, though, as both have been strong performers for the Red Devils this term.

De Ligt had established himself as first choice in Amorim's back three, but the head coach will not be taking any risks when it comes to the Netherlands international, so a spot on the bench is probable.

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Man United's most dangerous forward has returned

Amad's return is also major news considering his performance level before he suffered an ankle injury.

The 22-year-old has scored nine goals and registered eight assists in 36 appearances for the Red Devils this season, including two strikes in eight outings in the Europa League.

It is incredibly difficult to imagine the attacker returning to the starting side on Thursday considering the length of his absence, but like De Ligt, he could provide an excellent option off the bench at San Mames.