Having returned to training after almost half a year on the sidelines following a fractured skull, the Mexico attacker could yet feature this term
Wolves striker Raul Jimenez could make a return from his six-month injury lay-off before the end of the current Premier League season, says manager Nuno Espirito Santo.
The attacker, who has not played since November after fracturing his skull in a clash of heads with David Luiz against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, is back in training for the club.
Jimenez is still waiting for the go-ahead from medical staff to resume playing, but speaking ahead of Monday’s clash with West Brom, his boss has revealed that should he get it before the close of the campaign, he can be expected to play a part.
What has been said?
“I see him ready to eventually play,” the Portuguese was quoted in his pre-match press conference. “I cannot see everything – I cannot see inside his head, how the bone is, and this is what we have to respect and wait for.
“If the medical clearance came, he could be involved on Monday because I see him as really good. But there are things that only MRI can see.
“He is working well, playing good, scoring and happy but we still have to wait for the medical decision. It requires patience and the right decisions because it’s too serious to make any kind of mistake on.”
Wolves muzzled in Mexican’s absence
It is a testament to just how vital Jimenez is to the Midlands outfit’s form that he remains their third-highest scorer of the current Premier League campaign, despite playing less than a third of the season.
Wolves sat seventh in the wake of his last game against the Gunners, 10 rounds into the 2020-21 term, with five wins and two draws to their name.
They subsequently won just two of the next dozen league matches they played, to leave any hopes of a European challenge this term in tatters.
Outside of the current bottom three, only Burnley have scored fewer goals than Wolves this year in the top-flight, suggesting that Jimenez’s return cannot come soon enough for his manager.
The bigger picture
Wolves will be looking to arrest another slide in form when they tangle with Sam Allardyce’s West Brom side on Monday evening, though they will be alert to the threat of a dangerous Baggies side with everything left to lose.
West Brom sit on the cusp of relegation, with the former England manager’s typical salvage job heroics seemingly set to come up short this time around.
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