MADRID: Athletic Bilbao striker Fernando Llorente returned to the pitch as a second-half substitute in his team’s scoreless draw at Getafe on Sunday after missing seven games with a leg injury.

Llorente replaced Gaizka Toquero up front in the 65th minute but failed to get a shot on goal.

“He hasn’t played in 40 days, and that kind of layoff affects a player,” Bilbao coach Marcelo Bielsa said. “The thing we need to do is to bring him along according to the minutes he can play.”  

The Spain international, who scored five goals in league play before the injury, had been sidelined with pain in his left knee.  

Bilbao only lost once in Llorente’s absence.  

The Basque side, currently in eighth place in the Spanish league standings, remained winless in eight visits all time to Getafe’s Alfonso Perez coliseum. – AP

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