Wolves center-forward, Raul Jimenez, could represent Mexico in the forthcoming Tokyo Olympics game if he is allowed to play competitive football at Wolves in the next 50 days.
The head coach of the Mexico national team, Gerardo Martino who revealed this on Friday, March 26, 2021, said that the recovery process of the 29-year-old striker is being monitored closely.
Recall that Raul Jimenez has not been able to play a competitive match since he got injured in a Premier League game involving Wolves and Arsenal on November 29, 2020. He sustained a fractured skull when he collided with Arsenal’s defender David Luiz during the game.
The Mexico international resumed training with Wolverhampton Wanderers recently but was not permitted to engage in contact training with the Premier League club because it is believed that he has not fully recovered from the injury.
Hence, it amazed some football fans when coach Gerardo Martino invited him to Mexico national team for March FIFA international break. He was seen training with the team ahead of the team’s international friendly match with Wales scheduled to take place today, March 27 at 21:00.
🤩 ⚡️ ⚽️ 🎯
— Selección Nacional (@miseleccionmx) March 25, 2021
🐺 @Raul_Jimenez9 🇲🇽#PasiónyOrgullo | #FMFporNuestroFútbol pic.twitter.com/cfqZdLRWfD
However, Gerardo Martino said Raul Jimenez is training with the team but he is not allowed to participate in contact training in line with the instruction from Wolves’ medical team.
“Raul is good,” Martino said. “He’s training normally with us, apart from contact training. He’s not doing that.
“When there are some physical contact training exercises, we get him training separately with another member of the coaching staff.
“In terms of how he’s progressing, we are adhering to the protocols the Wolves team has given us.
“He hasn’t yet started to engage in contact training at his club, and we are monitoring him medically and training on the pitch. We are certainly responding to what his team wants in his training.”
Mexico has a long list of football competitions to engage in this year which include CONCACAF Nations League, the Gold Cup, the Tokyo Olympics football tournament, and the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.
The football aspect of the Olympics Game will start on July 21 and it will end on August 7. Coach Gerardo Martino said Raul Jimenez could be in the Mexican Olympic team if the Wolves’ medical team gives the go-ahead.
“I think we need to see when his club will decide to play him when he gets the green light from doctors definitively”, the coach said.
“If Raul doesn’t get back playing towards the end of the season, I think that means we have much less of a chance of having him available.
“If he does, there is a lot more time looking forward to the Gold Cup and the Olympic Games and him being available for those games.
“But of course it all depends on what happens at Wolves in the coming 50 days.”
