How Raul Jimenez rediscovered his form at Fulham after long road back from skull fracture | OneFootball

Mexican striker is flying this season after being reborn under Marco Silva

Fulham have an option to extend Raul Jimenez’s contract by a further year before it expires in July. Doing anything other than tying him down to another 12 months at Craven Cottage would be, well, foolish.

Two penalties against Ipswich Town in Saturday’s 2-2 draw saw Jimenez overtake Javier Hernandez as the highest-scoring Mexican in the Premier League with 55 goals - 40 for Wolves and now 15 for Fulham, eight of them this season.

His signing from Wolves for a modest £5.5million in summer 2023 came just 25 days before Fulham’s talismanic striker Aleksandar Mitrovic moved to the Saudi Pro League.

Jimenez, who netted again from the spot as Fulham made the FA Cup fourth round with Thursday night’s 4-1 win over Watford, was cautiously brought in as a potential replacement for Mitrovic, whose goalscoring exploits had made him the star man at Craven Cottage.

Recent weeks have shown Jimenez to be an altogether different player from the trudging, headband-wearing figure who so rarely won a loose ball or hit the back of the net that, by October of last season, he was playing second-fiddle to Carlos Vinicius.

Jimenez scored two penalties in last weekend’s 2-2 draw with Ipswich and now has eight Premier League goals this season

AFP via Getty Images

By the end of the campaign, Jimenez was a fringe player at Fulham, owing partly to having dealt with a hamstring injury and partly to the unforeseen and rather unrelenting goalscoring pomp of Rodrigo Muniz, March’s Premier League Player of the Month.

Despite late goals at Anfield and injury-time winners against Chelsea, Muniz’s role is predominantly from the bench these days, and the rebirth of 33-year-old Jimenez explains why.

Jimenez went 336 days without a goal before notching his first for Fulham, and last season he looked a shadow of his former self, just as he had done in his final season with Wolves when he failed to score at all.

He had, of course, suffered a horrendous head injury while on Wolves duty in November 2020 which saw him sidelined for nine months.

Jimenez hit seven goals in 11 games for Mexico in 2019 and in the 2019-20 season struck 17 in the Premier League alone for Wolves. He may never get back to those levels, mainly due to age, but this season has felt a turning point for him.

His link-up play is as good as ever, using his guile and low centre of gravity, and combining so effectively with the likes of Alex Iwobi and Harry Wilson in recent weeks.

He was really down when we signed him. We showed the trust in him and it is paying off

Marco Silva on Raul Jimenez

His technical proficiency and sharp decision-making are major reasons why Fulham’s attacks are looking so polished with Fulham sitting ninth and Europe a realistic target.

Goals have restoked that fire in Jimenez, rediscovered that confidence.

He has been attempting bicycle kicks, scoring deft backheel flicks, and netting swivel-volleys as well as bullet-headers. His thumping header in the recent 2-2 draw with Bournemouth felt particularly brave given the fractured skull in he suffered in November 2020.

“It was, for sure, the worst moment of his life and his family’s life,” Fulham manager Marco Silva said on Sunday, addressing Jimenez’s journey from that injury to becoming Fulham’s Mr Reliable up front.

“I am here to help him and we as a team are here to help him in the same way he helped us this afternoon. It’s not just the goals, it was the way he fought.

“He was there every single time to help the team. It is a great moment for him and let’s hope he can get even more confidence for the future.

“He was really down when we signed him. We showed the trust in him and it is paying off.”

Jimenez has turned a corner, at a club and under a manager who have a real track record of restoring players to their former glory.