Bilbao came to Old Trafford earlier in the season and played with all the cavalier swagger and finesse of a vintage Manchester United team. So despite pain of defeat the fans had to doff the cap of appreciation for this youthful and brilliant visitor.
If Iker Muniain does leave Atletic at some stage he will have no shortage of suitors. He was the jewel in the crown of the Spanish side that night, buzzing about purposefully, bursting with technique, lusting after the ball and part of all that was good about his team. He has been billed as a wide man but you can see he is a playmaker of the highest quality who will drift into the middle more and more as his career blossoms. You know pure class when you see it. It’s not always easy to articulate. But it’s just there.
This lad would make any team tick and, regardless of who gets him, it’s just a great joy to watch this excellent clip of his performance that night. Is this the new, less-ginger, younger, louder, Spanish Paul Scholes in the making? YOU…….DECIDE…….
