Wolves striker Raul Jimenez not ready to rest just yet
Raul Jimenez is satisfied with the season so far – but he will not be putting his feet up this winter break.
The 28-year-old has scored 20 times in 38 appearances for Wolves so far this season after firing Mexico to Gold Cup glory in the summer.
The Wolves ace had just a 17-day break between that July win and Wolves’ Europa League opener with Crusaders.
The forward will now embark on his longest rest of the season as Wolves face a 13-day break after the 0-0 draw at Manchester United, with their next clash at home to Leicester not coming until February 14.
But as Wolves spend the week on a warm-weather training camp in Marbella, Jimenez is keen to keep improving.
He said: “I feel good and happy. I’m satisfied on what I’ve been doing with the team, what I’ve been working and doing. It’s important to keep growing as a player and as a person.”
When the squad returns, the Leicester clash is followed by a two-legged Europa League tie with Spanish side Espanyol for a place in the last 16.
And after racking up his highest goal tally since making the leap from Club America to Europe in 2014, he is hungry to progress in Europe.
He said: “In the league we want to keep winning points, keep growing as a team and in Europa League do everything to go through the phases.”
Wolves start the break eighth in the Premier League table and Jimenez says Nuno Espirito Santo’s side are motivated by last term’s seventh-placed finish.
He said: “This team is like a family, we always work together. If we need to defend, we all do it, if we need to attack, we all do it. That’s important for us as well; to know that we can do it, and this is the second consecutive year we are fighting up there and that is where we want to be.”
Wolves draw at Old Trafford leaves them level on points with the seventh-placed Red Devils. And after seeing new signing Daniel Podence make his bow off the bench, Jimenez was happy with a point.
He said: “(It was a) tough game. We are very close in points, just the goal difference keep us apart. Getting a point here is always good and is important to keep adding points.”
Podence is not the only new face in Marbella as new academy signings midfielder Enzo Loiodice and striker Leonardo Campana jetted out. They joined fellow development squad players Bruno Jordao, Andreas Sondergaard, Owen Otasowie, Lewis Richards and Oskar Buur on the trip.
