Real Betis midfielder Nabil Fekir will miss Manchester United’s UEFA Europa League round of 16 clash with an anterior cruciate ligament injury. The Frenchman is out for the remainder of the season.
The LaLiga team has confirmed Fekir’s injury on its website:
“Fekir suffers an anterior cruciate ligament injury in his left knee. The player will miss the remainder of the season.”
Fekir’s absence will have a big impact on Betis, as the French attacking midfielder is the star of Manuel Pellegrini’s side. He has scored six goals and provided three assists in 20 inter-competition games.
The Frenchman will miss the round of 16 of the Europa League for Los Verdiblancos against Manchester United. The two teams collide at Old Trafford on Thursday (March 9), with the second leg at the Benito Villamarín on March 16.
Betis is fifth in La Liga, winning 12 of 23 games. They finished top of Group C in the Europa League, beating former Red Devils manager José Mourinho’s AS Roma into first place.
Manchester United will know about the threat Fekir would have posed had he been available. Reports claim that Erik ten Hag’s team entered the race to sign the former Lyon midfielder for €26m.
Manchester United’s Luke Shaw explains why the players didn’t get the day off after winning the EFL Cup
Manchester United celebrated winning the Carabao Cup on Sunday (February 26) with a 2-0 win over Newcastle United at Wembley. However, they returned to training on Monday (February 27) with Ten Hag’s intention to oversee more success.
Shaw explained that the Red Devils are quickly turning their attention to Wednesday’s (March 1) clash with West Ham United in the FA Cup fifth round. He told Sky Sports:
“Obviously, I think we don’t want to look too far away. I think, of course, that the game is really important on Wednesday. It’s a competition that, of course, we want to win. I think that’s why we’re here today (Monday). There’s no free days”.
The Ten Hag players paraded through Wembley after Casemiro and Marcus Rashford sealed their first trophy in six years. However, those celebrations did not last into the night. Shaw added:
“There really wasn’t a lot of celebrating last night, so I think after that we were fully focused on making sure we get there today and get ready for that game because, like I said, it’s a competition we want to stay involved in. I know it’s going to be a tough test against West Ham”.
The last time Manchester United won the FA Cup was in 2016. It is one of three competitions, including the Europa League, in which the Old Trafford side still compete.