Man United receive boost as only a red card would see a player miss potential Europa League final | OneFootball

Manchester United will face Athletic Club in the semi-finals of the Europa League with the boost of no suspensions hanging over their heads.

The Red Devils reached the last four in the most dramatic of fashions on Thursday night against Olympique Lyonnais.

Losing 4-6 on aggregate with just 10 minutes of extra time to play, Ruben Amorim’s men rallied and scored three goals to win the match and tie, much to the delight of a rocking Old Trafford.

Kobbie Mainoo scored the vital equaliser and the squad has been boosted by his and Mason Mount’s recent return from injury.

What’s more, there is hope that Matthijs de Ligt, Ayden Heaven and Amad will be available to play in the first leg in Bilbao against Athletic Club on the 1st May.

To further boost United’s squad options for the crucial semi-final, both Manuel Ugarte and Casemiro managed to avoid yellow cards against Lyon that would have ruled them out of the first leg in the Basque country.

The Manchester Evening News reports that United will only lose a player to suspension for the second leg of the semi-final or the final if they receive a red card.

The paper states that “all yellow cards that have been accumulated in the competition are wiped out ahead of the start of the semi-finals, meaning every player involved in the last-four of the competition starts the round with a clean slate.”

Harry Maguire, Leny Yoro and Alejandro Garnacho all received cautions on Thursday night but these yellows will thankfully not count against them at the semi-final stage.

In other words, any United player could pick up a yellow in both legs and they would be in no danger of missing a hypothetical final involving the Red Devils.

This will come as a significant boost to United as winning the Europa League is not only vital for Ruben Amorim’s trophy ambitions but also his summer transfer plans.

It has been reported that United could be in line for a total gain of £121 million were they to win the competition.

Featured image Shaun Botterill via Getty Images

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