Athletic Bilbao 1-0 Barcelona: 3 talking points | LaLiga 2019/2020

#1 Inaki Williams proves a handful for the Barcelona defense

Inaki Williams was in a confident mood against Barcelona

In the dying hours of the Premier League transfer window, reports emerged that Manchester United were interested in triggering Inaki Williams' release clause to bring him over to Old Trafford.

However, nothing concrete came of such reports, with the 25-year-old instead signing a contract extension with his hometown club.

Details of the deal revealed that Athletic Bilbao tied him down to an incredible nine-year deal, with a release clause valued at €135m.

The deal made Williams the player with the longest running deal in Europe, and buoyed by the confidence reposed in him by Bilbao, the striker entered the game against Barcelona in confident mood.

He had Jordi Alba on his backside inside the first three minutes of the game, while he proved to be a handful for Gerard Pique and Clement Lenglet for the entirety of his stay on the field.

Inaki Williams forced Marc Andre ter Stegen into a number of saves in the match, while he also found it easy to get in behind the Barcelona backline.

Although he did not get a goal on the night with his replacement netting the all important winning strike, Inaki Williams' performance against Barcelona was deserving of one, and Bilbao can take solace in the fact that they have his services for the foreseeable future.