Nico Williams is struggling through the season, with the Bilbao striker unable to get going due to a groin injury. Now the Basques have decided not to use him for the time being.
It has been quite a while since Nico Williams played a full game. On December 10, in the 0-0 draw against PSG in the Champions League, the winger played the entire game. Since then, Nico Williams has either been substituted in or out—but that is now coming to an end.
The 23-year-old has been struggling with a groin injury since last season and has only been used sporadically since then. In the current season, he has only played a total of 1728 minutes. Nico Williams was not in the squad for the recent 2-1 win in Oviedo, and the European champion will also be left out of the upcoming games.
“He was starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and now it seems like he’s taken two or three steps back,” his brother Inaki Williams, who is also under contract with Bilbao, was quoted as saying by Marca after the game against the promoted team. Coach Ernesto Valverde added: “We can’t go on like this.”
Reduced training did not bring any improvement
After various attempts at treatment and consultation with external specialists, Williams initially tried to reduce the intensity of his training in order to be able to play in matches. However, this did not solve the problem. Sports director Mikel Gonzalez explained before the Oviedo game that the club was working on “various options.” “If he doesn’t recover, we will consider a break of several weeks to undergo treatment to strengthen his abdominal muscles.” That point has now been reached. The Basques are still keeping quiet about the length of his absence.
However, Spanish media are assuming at least four weeks, making it difficult to imagine him participating in the cup semifinal second leg at Real Sociedad (first leg 0-1) on March 8. However, they have decided against surgery for the time being in Bilbao – and for good reason: according to the Basques, such injuries are not usually operated on “as it leads to a loss of speed and acceleration. Surgery does not guarantee a 100% recovery and would also put the player out of action for between three and six months.”
This would also have put Nico Williams’ World Cup participation at risk. The winger has not played for the Seleccion for some time due to his injuries. He last played for Spain in September 2025 in a 6-0 win in Turkey in the World Cup qualifiers.
