Intro:

Paul Scholes was the most notable absentee from training on Wednesday (March 7th) morning ahead of Manchester United's Europa League last-16 tie on Thursday with Athletic Bilbao.

Script:

Paul Scholes was missing from Manchester United's training session on Wednesday.

The veteran midfielder is not expected to be involved in the first leg of United's Europa League last 16 tie against Athletic Bilbao at Old Trafford on Thursday.

But fellow midfielder Tom Cleverley was training, hinting at a potential comeback after his recent ankle injury.

Defender Chris Smalling also seemed to have recovered from the head injury he sustained on England duty last week.

United's poor home form in Europe this season will be a worry for the Premier League champions.

They failed to hold onto a two-goal lead against Basel in September, a result manager Sir Alex Ferguson felt cost them their Champions League place.

On top of that, they almost threw away an aggregate three-goal lead to Ajax in the previous round.

It will be vital for United to perform at Old Trafford, Athletic have a formidable home record in Europe this season with three wins and a draw from four games.

Any slip up in Manchester could be difficult to overcome for United during the second leg in Bilbao next week.