Shropshire Star

Wolves striker Raul Jimenez relishing chance to rest

Hotshot Raul Jimenez is relishing a rare chance to recharge his batteries as he prepares for the next stage of Wolves’ hectic season.

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The Mexico striker will spend the international break at Compton Park after being rested by international boss Gerardo Martino.

Jimenez has only had two weeks off so far in 2019, having helped Mexico to glory in the summer’s Gold Cup, before returning for the start of Wolves’ Europa League campaign in July.

Club boss Nuno Espirito Santo has hinted he may give the 28-year-old some time off before Wolves resume their season at home to Southampton on Saturday week.

Jimenez said: “It is good for me to now have a break and the chance to rest and start again and look forward to the rest of the season.

“At the beginning of the season we (Wolves) had a few problems but now I think we are better. This is just the beginning.”

Wolves face another gruelling three-week schedule when the season resumes, which includes two meetings with Slovan Bratislava and dates in both the Carabao Cup and Premier League with West Midlands rivals Villa. Jimenez believes players are now adapting to the packed fixture list, with Sunday’s superb win at Manchester City coming less than 72 hours after their Europa League triumph at Besiktas.

“We played 90 minutes last Thursday and we made it to the end of the match again,” he said.

“We know it is going to be like this in the next month, playing in midweek and playing Sunday or Saturday. We have to react to this and make it good.

“I think we did well (at Manchester City) with the things which worked last season. We hope to continue with this for the next match.”

Wolves are assessing the fitness of Romain Saiss after he was forced off early in the win at City. The 29-year-old is likely to withdraw from international duty with Morocco. Morgan Gibbs-White, an unused substitute at the Etihad, has withdrawn from the England Under-21s squad with a back injury.