Wolves boss Santo on Raul Jimenez’s potential return & Daniel Podence injury
Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Santo has this evening provided fitness updates on a number of his side’s stars, including Raul Jimenez.
Last Updated: January 7, 2021 10:28 pm
Harrowing scenes
Mexican hitman Jimenez was of course involved in one of the more concerning moments of the Premier League campaign thus far, late last year.
A trip to north London to face Arsenal saw the 29-year-old involved in a horrific clash of heads with David Luiz, a coming together which left Jimenez knocked out cold on the Emirates turf.
After being stretchered from the pitch and taken to hospital, it was subsequently confirmed that the Wolves star had suffered a fractured skull.
Messages of support quickly poured in, as fans and players alike came together to wish Jimenez a speedy recovery.
As such, it no doubt brought a smile to the faces of football lovers across the globe in December when, in a post across their social media platforms, Wolves revealed a photo of Jimenez at the club’s training ground, gleefully embracing manager Nuno Espirito Santo:
We had a special visitor at Compton Park yesterday morning…
— Wolves (@Wolves) December 10, 2020
‘He will join us’
And, as outlined above, the Wolves boss has since provided a further insight into the progress being made by his side’s star attacker.
Ahead of the club’s FA Cup 3rd-round meeting with Crystal Palace in 24 hours’ time, Nuno Espirito Santo this evening held his final pre-match press conference.
And, during the media exchange, the Portuguese tactician went on to confirm that it is only a matter of when, rather than if, Jimenez returns to the pitch, assuring that the former Benfica man is making good progress in his recovery:
‘Without a time schedule, he’s improving, he’s doing exercises now. It’s not a question of hoping, we are sure he’s coming back. At the right moment he will join us and that is good.’
WOLVERHAMPTON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 29: Raul Jimenez of Wolverhampton Wanderers celebrates a goal during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Ham United at Molineux on January 29, 2019 in Wolverhampton, United Kingdom. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)
Santo also went on to provide fitness updates on several other Wolves stars, including Daniel Podence and Willy Boly:
‘We’re improving with a lot of issues, but know they are coming back. Daniel [Podence] had a knock in the game against Man United, he’s out. He’s improving but is only in the gym and recovering. Marcal is more or less in the same situation.’
‘We have [Willy] Boly, he’s a little bit more ahead, hopefully he can join us soon. Jonny is progressing well. Leander [Dendoncker] joined the session and is getting back. He trained so he will join the squad and we will decide.’
Nuno’s quotes on Gibbs-White, Cutrone and the latest updates on the injuries in his squad.
💬🗞
— Wolves (@Wolves) January 7, 2021
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This article was edited by Josh Barker.
Football Live streaming: Featured matches on January 17, 2020
| Game | Time | Predicted Score | Live Score Prediction/Live Score | How to Watch |
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| Manchester City FC vs Crystal Palace FC | 17 January, 19:15 (In 56 minutes) | 2-0 | 2-0 |
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| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Manchester United FC | 17 | 10 | 36 |
| 2 | Leicester City FC | 18 | 12 | 35 |
| 3 | Liverpool FC | 17 | 16 | 33 |
| 4 | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 18 | 16 | 33 |
| 5 | Manchester City FC | 16 | 12 | 32 |
| 6 | Everton FC | 17 | 7 | 32 |
| 7 | Chelsea FC | 18 | 12 | 29 |
| 8 | Southampton FC | 18 | 5 | 29 |
| 9 | West Ham United FC | 18 | 4 | 29 |
| 10 | Aston Villa FC | 15 | 13 | 26 |
| 11 | Arsenal FC | 18 | 1 | 24 |
| 12 | Leeds United | 18 | -4 | 23 |
| 13 | Crystal Palace FC | 18 | -7 | 23 |
| 14 | Wolverhampton Wanderers FC | 19 | -8 | 22 |
| 15 | Newcastle United FC | 17 | -9 | 19 |
| 16 | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 19 | -7 | 17 |
| 17 | Burnley FC | 17 | -13 | 16 |
| 18 | Fulham FC | 17 | -11 | 12 |
| 19 | West Bromwich Albion | 18 | -27 | 11 |
| 20 | Sheffield United FC | 19 | -22 | 5 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 13 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 12 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 12 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 11 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 11 |
| Calvert-Lewin, Dominic | Everton FC | 11 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 10 |
| Zaha, Wilfried | Crystal Palace FC | 8 |
| Wilson, Callum | Newcastle United FC | 8 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 7 |
| Ings, Danny | Southampton FC | 7 |
| Maupay, Neal | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 7 |
| Lacazette, Alexandre | Arsenal FC | 7 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 6 |
| Watkins, Ollie | Aston Villa FC | 6 |
| Abraham, Tammy | Chelsea FC | 6 |
| Barnes, Harvey | Leicester City FC | 6 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 5 |
| Firmino, Roberto | Liverpool FC | 5 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City FC | 5 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
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| Bellerin, Hector | Arsenal FC | 0 | 6 |
| Bissouma, Yves | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 1 | 5 |
| Egan, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 5 |
| Hayden, Isaac | Newcastle United FC | 0 | 6 |
| Reid, Bobby | Fulham FC | 0 | 5 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 0 | 5 |
| Romeu, Oriol | Southampton FC | 0 | 5 |
| Dunk, Lewis | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 1 | 4 |
| Phillips, Kalvin | Leeds United | 0 | 5 |
| Cash, Matty | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 5 |
| Gallagher, Conor | West Bromwich Albion | 0 | 5 |
| Evans, Jonny | Leicester City FC | 0 | 5 |
| Lundstram, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 4 |
| Kante, N`Golo | Chelsea FC | 0 | 5 |
| Milivojevic, Luka | Crystal Palace FC | 1 | 4 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 0 | 4 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 4 |
| Ward-Prowse, James | Southampton FC | 0 | 4 |
| Tielemans, Youri | Leicester City FC | 0 | 4 |
| Klich, Mateusz | Leeds United | 0 | 4 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 11 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City FC | 8 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 7 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 7 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 6 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 5 |
| Robertson, Andrew | Liverpool FC | 5 |
| Digne, Lucas | Everton FC | 5 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 4 |
| Ward-Prowse, James | Southampton FC | 4 |
| Werner, Timo | Chelsea FC | 4 |
| Adams, Che | Southampton FC | 4 |
| Harrison, Jack | Leeds United | 4 |
| Chilwell, Benjamin | Chelsea FC | 4 |
| McGinn, John | Aston Villa FC | 4 |
| Cresswell, Aaron | West Ham United FC | 4 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 3 |
| Ings, Danny | Southampton FC | 3 |
| Firmino, Roberto | Liverpool FC | 3 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City FC | 3 |
