Nico Williams puts injury recovery on hold to feature in Copa del Rey
Athletic Bilbao's star winger is battling through a year-long pubic pain issue, delaying recommended treatment to help his side in their cup campaign.
Despite medical advice suggesting weeks of rest for his ongoing pubic pain issue, Nico Williams is determined to delay treatment and remain available for Athletic Bilbao’s Copa del Rey campaign.
Fighting through the pain
The Spanish international has been struggling with a pubic pain problem for nearly a year now, and it’s been proper touch and go at times. After feeling particularly frustrated following a match against Sevilla at the Pizjuán a fortnight ago, Williams experienced a more positive outing at Mestalla, where he came on for the final 20 minutes and provided the assist for brother Iñaki’s winning goal.
The younger Williams brother was reportedly in much better spirits after the Valencia match, telling his sibling “I can see the light” as they headed to the dressing room amid celebrations.
Medical consultation
Williams and Athletic have consulted four different specialists since the winger’s performances began suffering due to this persistent issue. Things seemed to be improving over the summer, but then:
- An adductor injury while on international duty set his recovery back to square one
- Multiple therapies have been tried since then
- The club has a treatment plan focused on abdominal strengthening ready to go
- This plan would sideline him for 2-4 weeks minimum
Prioritising the cup run
However, the positive feelings from his Mestalla cameo have put any extended break on the back burner. For now, Athletic will continue with their current approach - training sessions focused on recovery and manager Ernesto Valverde carefully managing his minutes until he can perform more naturally.
Athletic are awaiting their opponents for what will be their sixth Copa del Rey semi-final in the last seven seasons. The tie will mark San Mamés’ first Copa match this season, after Athletic played away fixtures against Ourense, Cultural y Deportiva Leonesa, and Valencia in previous rounds.
For a player of Williams’ caliber to put his body on the line when he’s clearly in need of proper rest shows just how much the cup means to both him and the Basque club. Talk about taking one for the team - the lad’s definitely not on his Jack Jones when it comes to Athletic’s cup ambitions.