MADRID, May 11 (Xinhua) -- Athletic Club winger Nico Williams is in serious danger of missing out on a place in Spain's World Cup squad after suffering a hamstring injury in the 1-0 defeat against Valencia on Sunday.
Williams went down off the ball and TV cameras captured him saying "this can't be happening" to the medical staff, who attended him as he was helped off the pitch to be replaced by his brother Inaki.
"He had a problem in his hamstring and we will have to wait," commented Athletic coach Ernesto Valverde after the match.
"He was in a good moment of form and getting back to his best. Now we have to cross our fingers and wait," Inaki said.
Nico has struggled with injury this season, making just 25 appearances in La Liga and three in the UEFA Champions League.
He recently missed six weeks of competition to undergo a treatment to end his pelvic problems and was looking to convince Spain coach Luis de la Fuente of his return to fitness.
The winger scored two late goals as Athletic beat Deportivo Alaves 4-2 last weekend. But with Spain due to kick off its World Cup campaign against Cape Verde on June 15, he has very little recovery time. ■
