Sancet blow for Athletic: Star midfielder to miss crucial derby and Copa clash
Oier Sancet faces spell on sidelines with hamstring injury, adding to Valverde's selection headache ahead of Real Sociedad derby and Valencia cup quarter-final.
Athletic Club’s momentum hit by fresh injury concerns as Sancet joins growing list of absentees at crucial stage of season.
Hamstring woe for in-form midfielder
Just as he was finding his shooting boots again, Oier Sancet has been sidelined with a moderate right hamstring injury (biceps femoris). The Navarrese midfielder, who netted against Sporting in the Champions League, underwent tests on Thursday that confirmed the damage after he was forced off early in the second half of that European clash.
The timing couldn’t be worse for Ernesto Valverde, with Sancet now definitely ruled out of both the Basque derby against Real Sociedad and the Copa del Rey quarter-final against Valencia - two season-defining fixtures in Athletic’s calendar.
Squad stretched to breaking point
The Lions are facing something of an injury crisis ahead of their trip to San Sebastián:
- Iñaki Williams - confirmed absentee
- Dani Vivian - carrying muscle overload concerns
- Nico Williams - fitness being assessed after missing Sporting match
- Aymeric Laporte - hasn’t played since December 6th due to significant muscle injury
Both Nico and Laporte participated in Thursday’s training session at Lezama with players who either didn’t feature or played limited minutes in the Champions League fixture.
Further selection headaches
Valverde’s options are further limited by:
- Long-term absentees: Maroan, Prados and Egiluz
- Yeray - still a week away from group training (UEFA suspension extends until April anyway)
- Lekue - serving second match of suspension following red card against Mallorca
Third setback for Sancet
This marks Sancet’s third injury of the current campaign, having previously missed 17 days with a ligament sprain and another 14 days with a separate muscle problem. His injury record is becoming worrying - last season he was sidelined for a total of 95 days after suffering three consecutive muscle injuries and a serious ankle sprain.
The timing is particularly cruel as Sancet had just scored his first goal from open play this season against Sporting Portugal and was showing signs of returning to his best form before requesting the substitution early in the second half.