Huntelaar braced for Bilbao test

Schalke’s Klaas-Jan Huntelaar says he was blown away by Athletic Bilbao’s ‘extraordinary’ Europa League triumph over Manchester United.

Athletic caused quite a stir by outplaying the English Premier League champions in both legs of their last-16 showdown, with the Spanish side powering into the quarter-finals courtesy of a 5-3 aggregate win.

With Marcelo Bielsa’s men up next for Schalke in the Europa League, Huntelaar knows his team will have their work cut out for them if they are to reach the semi-finals.

“I saw Athletic against Manchester United,” the Netherlands international told Kicker.

“They played like Barcelona; it was extraordinary.”

Meanwhile, Bilbao are hoping star striker Fernando Llorente, who has missed his club’s last two games with a hip problem, will soon return to competitive action after taking part in training on Thursday.