Wolves: Lopetegui 'desperate' over 6 ft 3 star at Molineux | OneFootball

Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Julen Lopetegui is desperate to see Raul Jimenez back on the training pitch at Wolves, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.

The Mexican World Cup star has been out of action since September, but could still be the answer to Wolves’ goal-scoring woes.

Where has Raul Jimenez been this season?

Wolves have had several issues in the striking department this season, starting with new summer signing Sasa Kalajdzic injuring his ACL on the opening day of the season and being ruled out for the remainder of the campaign.

The club have also been without the services of Raul Jimenez since September through injury, too. The Mexican hitman missed the start of the season with a knee injury, only to return for three games and then suffer a hip problem that has seen him not appear for the club since.

Despite the injuries, 6 ft 3 Jimenez was included in Mexico’s World Cup warm-ups and was part of the squad currently in Qatar, where he appeared off the bench in all three group games.

Lopetegui has wasted no time sending a rallying cry to his striker and ordered him to put his club before his country when he returns from events in Qatar.

What does Dean Jones think about Raul Jimenez’s role at Wolves?

Dean Jones thinks that the new Wolves’ boss will be keen to get on the training pitch and work with the Mexican star.

Jones told GIVEMESPORT: “Of course, someone like Jimenez, he’ll be desperate to get eyes on the training pitch to see what you can actually do with him and why things haven’t been working out.”

Why do Wolves need Raul Jimenez back firing?

Wolves currently prop up the Premier League table and a large factor to their dismal first half of the season has been the inability to find the back of the net.

They have only scored nine goals so far this campaign, and registered eight blanks in their 14 games so far. Ruben Neves’ four goals mean he is the club’s leading scorer and their lack of goals is Lopetegui’s number one issue to fix.

1 of 14

Do you know this obscure Wolves footballer from the 1990s?

Jermaine Wright Andy Petterson Steve Mautone Jorgen Nielsen

Jimenez has netted once in 2022-23, a solitary Carabao Cup goal against Preston in August, but hasn’t scored in the Premier League since netting against Watford in March.

The Mexican has 55 goals in 150 games for the club, however, has struggled to find the form that saw him net 27 times in the 2019-20 season, following his serious head injury sustained against Arsenal in 2020.