Athletic Bilbao midfielder Benat Prados took to social media to vent his frustration after being forced off in the club’s defeat by Man United.
The Basque club travelled to Old Trafford on Thursday tasked with overturning a three-goal deficit from the first leg and looked to be on the right track when Mikel Jauregizar fired them into the lead in the first half.
As the visitors continued to try and force their way back into the tie, Prados was brought on just after the hour mark, replacing Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta.
However, the 24-year-old’s involvement in the Europa League semi-final would ultimately prove to be short lived.
After backheeling the ball, Prados was closed down by United’s Victor Lindelof who subsequently caught the former Spain youth international in the shin with his studs up.
Referee Daniel Siebert ruled that the challenge was not worthy of a foul and play continued, though Prados was clearly in severe discomfort.
GRAPHIC CONTENT WARNING
Benat Prados was forced off after coming on as a sub in Athletic Bilbao’s defeat by Man United
The 24-year-old was on the receiving end of a strong challenge from Victor Lindelof just minutes after being introduced
Prados later shared an image of the gruesome cut on his shin to his Instagram account
Just minutes later Mason Mount restored United’s three-goal aggregate lead and Prados was unable to continue, as Mikel Vesga came on to replace him.
Clearly unhappy with the challenge and the lack of a response from the official, Prados later shared an image of his injury on Instagram with blood draining from a gash in his shin.
Alongside the photo he added the caption: ‘There was no red card. There was no yellow card. There was no foul. Play on..’
After Mount’s introduction United seized control of the second leg and eventually ran out 4-1 winners (7-1 agg) to set up an all-English European final with Tottenham later this month.
Speaking following the game Bilbao boss Ernesto Valverde acknowledged Prados’ injury and reflected on his team’s performance.
He said: ‘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.’
‘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.’
