There was hope the Mexico star would make a comeback from a fractured skull before the campaign ended
Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Santo has confirmed that Raul Jimenez will not be fit enough to play in the club’s final Premier League game of the season.
There was hope that Jimenez, who suffered a fractured skull in November after a horrific clash of heads with Arsenal’s David Luiz, would make enough progress to face Manchester United on Sunday.
But Nuno has now admitted that the Mexico striker is not yet sufficiently recovered from his head injury.
What was said?
“The club will release a statement, detailing the situation but unfortunately Raul will not be able to join us for the final game,” Nuno told BBC Sport on Wednesday after his side fell 1-0 to Everton.
“All the squad, Pedro [Neto], Jonny, all the squad will be there. We stick all the season together. The last day is for us to get together. It was a difficult season for everybody.”
Asked if Jimenez would be able to play football again, Nuno said: “I am sure he will. We miss him. Football will be very glad when Raul returns to the pitch.”
Following the match Wolves did release the statement Nuno alluded to, which featured an update from club doctor Matt Perry.
“His skull fracture has now healed well; he will wear a protective headguard to cover the area of bony injury for the remainder of his career, but it is adjudged strong enough for him to return to play with this protection,” Dr Perry said.
“A brain injury such as concussion can take weeks and months to recover fully and TBI (traumatic brain injury) will sometimes leave lasting deficits. It is wonderful to be able to say that Raul has made a remarkable and excellent recovery to date.”
“Further match-based rehabilitation will start in July and will be tightly controlled initially,” Perry continued. “This respects the fact that although his recovery appears to be total there is a big step from training to competition.
“We hope and expect that Raul will be able to play a full part in Wolves’ 2021-22 season.”
Wolves feel Jimenez’s absence
Jimenez played a vital role for Wolves last season as the club finished seventh in the Premier League while collecting 59 points.
Wolves have badly missed Jimenez since his injury, with the club currently sitting in 12th place having collected just 45 points with one game remaining.
Only four teams in the Premier League have scored fewer goals than Wolves have this term, further demonstrating Jimenez’s importance to Nuno’s side.
Though he has not played since November, Jimenez is still tied for second place on the team with four Premier League goals, just one behind team-leading duo Neto and Ruben Neves.
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