The hopes of Athletic Club star Yuri Berchiche of being involved in the club’s impending showdown with RCD Mallorca are growing by the day.
Berchiche, for his part, marked his return from a spell on the sidelines two weeks ago, featuring from the off in Athletic’s La Liga meeting with Las Palmas.
En route to an eventual 2-0 victory, however, the 34-year-old was dealt a fresh fitness blow.
Inside the closing 20 minutes at the Estadio Gran Canaria, Berchiche was forced to limp out of proceedings, with what was later confirmed to be a relapse of his previous hamstring injury.
And per an official statement on Athletic’s website:
‘Yuri Berchiche suffered a muscle injury to the hamstring muscles of his right leg during the match against UD Las Palmas at the Gran Canaria stadium.
‘The player’s return is pending evolution.’
Ahead of the club’s fast-approaching Copa del Rey final showdown with RCD Mallorca, all associated with Athletic Club were therefore left to cross their fingers, in the hopes of Berchiche recovering in time to feature.
And, if the latest images stemming from the Leones’ training ground are anything to go by, then fans of the Basque giants could well have their wishes granted.
This comes with Berchiche having been spotted back in partial training, alongside the rest of Ernesto Valverde’s squad.
With a little over two weeks to go before the Copa finale, it is looking increasingly likely that Athletic will indeed be able to call upon their experienced full-back at the Estadio de La Cartuja
Conor Laird | GSFN
