Manchester United given fresh Amad injury return timeline amid Athletic Bilbao 'update'

Man Utd star Amad has been missing since February with an ankle injury picked up in training at Carrington.

Manchester United are reportedly set to welcome Amad back to training next week before their Europa League semi-final showdown against Athletic Bilbao.

The Ivory Coast star has been missing for Ruben Amorim since February when he picked up an unfortunate ankle injury during training. Initially, Amorim feared the worst and suggested that Amad could be out for the remainder of the season.

However, his mood changed following the draw at Real Sociedad in the Europa League last-16. The United head coach hinted that a return in May was on the cards - after the 22-year-old made better-than-expected progress.

Since then, Amad has returned to individual training, but not yet among the main first-team group. But, journalist Fabrizio Romano understands that this could be rectified following the clash at Bournemouth.

He reports that Amad will be back with his teammates next week - with a view to returning in either the first or second leg of the Europa League semi-final against Athletic Bilbao. Before his injury, the Ivorian had been one of United's rare bright spots this season.

After being overlooked by former manager Erik ten Hag, on numerous occasions, he was finally given his chance once the Dutchman was sacked. He shone for Ruud van Nistelrooy during his brief spell in interim charge and the impressive form continued under Amorim.

Amad has since transitioned into the No.10 role in Amorim's 3-4-3 system and has excelled. Considering many of his appearances were from the bench this season prior to Amorim's arrival, the forward's return of nine goals and eight assists in 36 appearances is respectable.

With Joshua Zirkzee out for the season, the return of Amad could not have come at a better time for Amorim. The United head coach will try to temper enthusiasm regarding the player's return considering the threat of him flaring his injury up again after such a long spell out of the team.

---

Here at The Manchester Evening News, we are dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester United coverage and analysis.

Make sure you don't miss out on the latest United news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe.

You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day's biggest stories.

And, finally, if you would rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Manchester is Red podcast, featuring The Samuel Luckhurst Show and The Midweek Debate. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and you can also watch along on YouTube.