Raul Jimenez reflects on process behind emotional return to Wolves scoresheet
Raul Jimenez is already looking ahead to the next goal after reflecting on the long journey back to the scoresheet.
Jimenez scored the winning goal when Wolves beat Southampton 1-0 on Sunday. It marked his first goal since his return to action following a lengthy lay-off due to a head injury. The striker suffered a fractured skull after a collision in last November’s match against Arsenal.
It will no doubt take time for him to rediscover his rhythm after such a lengthy absence. But he has now made an important step on that path.
His goal showed his striker’s instincts remain intact and was an emotional moment from a game that otherwise would not have been one of the most memorable of the weekend.
There has been a further outpouring of support for the Mexican since his return to the scoresheet. He agrees it is a “fantastic” feeling after all the work he has put in, but insists there is more to come.
He told Wolves TV: “Of course I have been looking for this goal since the start of the Premier League and now I feel really good. It feels fantastic to be back on the scoresheet.
“I was really excited in that moment when I was there, looking for the ball, winning the ball, then dribbled [past] the last defender. I put my head up and I saw – ‘OK, this is mine’, and I just shot and I knew it was going in. It feels really good.
“It means a lot; a lot of hard work during this nine months, well almost 11 months now. I have to keep working like this, I have to be focused on what I want.
“I wanted this and I wanted to finish the puzzle. Now I am going to keep working to continue with this, scoring and helping the team to have more points.”
Jimenez was a prolific frontman for Wolves before his career-threatening blow. He scored 17 goals in his first Wolves season and 27 in his second. Then, he had added four more goals from 11 games before his third season at Molineux was cut short.
He has received much support on his road to recovery and he had words of thanks for the Wolves fans.
The 30-year-old said: “Since the first minute the accident happened, they were there.
“I received a lot of support from them and it doesn’t matter if we lose or we win, they’re going to be with us in every moment. That’s what the Wolves family is.
“We’re working hard together in the pitch and they are feeling happy with us.”
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Jimenez hopes for next goal soon
The former Benfica forward will be aiming to back up his goal with another soon. His next opponents will be Newcastle United, who visit Molineux on Saturday.
Remaining optimistic, Jimenez hopes he can get on the scoresheet despite predicting a difficult game.
On the prospect of scoring again, he said: “I am going to look for that. I hope I can score again.
“It’s going to be a tough match but we know what we’re playing, we know each other so we have to keep working and look for it.”
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