Man Utd star called out over horror tackle as Bilbao issue injury update
Manchester United smashed Athletic Bilbao in their Europa League semi-final but Red Devils star Victor Lindelof has come under fire for a tackle he put in on Benat Prados
Athletic Bilbao star Benat Prados has called out Manchester United defender Victor Lindelof and referee Daniel Siebert that forced him to be substituted during Thursday’s Europa League semi-final.
Prados was introduced off the bench after 62 minutes, with Bilbao leading 1-0 on the night, though trailing 3-1 on aggregate. But just five minutes after he came on, the midfielder was the victim of a poor tackle from Lindelof.
The Bilbao man had backheeled the ball, with Lindelof jumping in to tackle him off his feet. The Swedish defender planted his foot studs up into Prados’ leg, leaving the Spaniard needing treatment.
Referee Siebert opted against showing Lindelof either a yellow or a red card. And the Video Assistant Referee backed that decision, with the United star escaping without any punishment.
Prados was able to carry on, though was clearly struggling, and Mason Mount soon equalised for United. Just a minute after that goal, the midfielder was forced off, with the Bilbao star now hitting out.
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He posted a photo on Instagram of his bleeding leg, along with the caption: “There was no red card. There was no yellow card. There was no foul. Play on…”
United would go on to score three more times to book their place in the Europa League final. Prados meanwhile is set to undergo further medical tests before he is cleared to return to action.
A statement from Bilbao read: “Beñat Prados suffered a hard tackle that was not sanctioned by the referee and caused him an incised-contuse injury to the front of his right leg. He is awaiting further treatment.”
Bilbao boss Ernesto Valverde also pointed to Lindelof’s tackle in his post-match press conference. The Spaniard did admit though that his side had not been up to scratch.
“He [Prados] has a very hard blow to his tibia and a deep wound, we’ll have to run tests to see how he’s doing,” Valverde said. “You have to keep in mind that games last 90 minutes and you have to go all the way against teams that won’t forgive you.
“We kept them in the box and pushed to get into the tie and get into the places we’ve wanted all season, but we did a lot of things wrong in the last 15 minutes. It seems like the tie has been a walkover, but it hasn’t.
“The excitement for the final was there from the start, and we played a great match. At certain moments, against such strong teams, you can’t concede anything, and we did. In the first leg, we were there to win, and they were overwhelming.
“Eliminations are painful, but only one team wins the cup. In La Liga, we still have important challenges to achieve. We want to stay fourth because we want to play in the Champions League next season.”
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