Strong squad flies to Spain

Sir Alex Ferguson will travel to Spain with 20 players this morning as Manchester United bid to reach the Europa League quarter-finals by overturning a 3-2 first-leg deficit against Athletic Club. A strong United team looks certain to take to the pitch in Bilbao on Thursday night, with only Nani, Anderson and Phil Jones left behind in Manchester. The trio are all believed to be carrying knocks, although Sir Alex will clarify his squad selection at his pre-match press conference on Wednesday afternoon (17:00 GMT). Antonio Valencia's presence on the flight to Bilbao is a welcome sight for United fans following a five-game lay-off (hamstring), as is the inclusion of Chris Smalling and young midfielder Paul Pogba. United travelling squad: Amos, De Gea; Evans, Evra, Fabio, Ferdinand, Rafael, Smalling; Carrick, Cleverley, Giggs, Park, Pogba, Scholes, Young, Valencia; Berbatov, Hernandez, Rooney, Welbeck