UEFA have released a statement confirming that a player from Athletic Bilbao tested positive for a banned substance following a game against Manchester United in the Europa League last season

Yeray Alvarez has been suspended until April 2026 after failing a doping test following Athletic Bilbao’s 3-0 loss to Manchester United in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final back in May.

Alvarez, 30, played the full game as Bilbao were soundly beaten at home by United, who advanced to the final with a 7-1 aggregate win after beating the La Liga outfit again at Old Trafford the following week.

UEFA confirmed in a statement on Monday morning that Alvarez would be suspended from competition for 10 months, though he is able to return to training in early February 2026. The statement read: “On 1 May 2025, Athletic Club player Yeray Alvarez underwent an in-competition doping control carried out by UEFA following a UEFA Europa League match.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/breaking-uefa-doping-test-ban-35867092