Wolverhampton Wanderers star Raul Jimenez is the talk of the town with his overwhelming performance this season. Much like his club, he has surpassed all expectations, and it is no wonder that his name is being linked to a host of top clubs across the Premier League, with Manchester United being one of them.
Now the Mexican has provided hope for United by stating that he is aware of the interests of other clubs and that he would like to continue his excellent work with his present club. In an interview with Telemundo, the striker has stated, “I am no stranger to all that [the rumours], every day a new team comes out, every day a new offer comes out, I do not know how many millions.
“It is good to know that they are talking about you, but what I have to do to make that happen is to continue doing my job here with the Wolves.”
The rise of Raul Jimenez
This season the 29-year-old has scored a remarkable 18 goals for his club across all competitions. Further, he has made nine assists for his side, which has contributed hugely towards the success of the club.
However, this is not the first time that the centre-forward has made a mark for himself in the Premier League. After moving to Wolves from Benfica on a season loan last season, he scored 13 times in the league, thus prompting the Midlands side to shell out his buyout clause to retain his services. It cannot be said that the club have not taken the right decision after taking into consideration Jiminez’s performances this time around.
Combining with the likes of Traore, the forward has wreaked havoc in the league and made the Wolves a fearsome outfit. This season he has taken 3.3 shots on average per game from his 32 Premier League appearances. His fitness is incredible, and so is his physical stature.
This physicality gives the Portuguese man an advantage in the air which can be seen from the fact that he has won 2.2 aerial attempts on average per game. We have already stated that he is not just a target man and is more than capable of taking up the creative role for his side, which is highlighted by the fact that the ex-Benfica star has amassed 1.4 key passes on an average per match in the Premier League.
His capability to hold on to the ball and playing long balls would often come as great help to a side like Manchester United as Ole Gunnar Solskjær prefers a setup where the defenders are asked to provide long passes to the forwards. It has often been seen that he likes to track back and help his side on the defensive end, which may prove vital for any top team.
What could be his role at Manchester United?
The Red Devils loyal may say that Martial could be their man who would lead the side back to their glory days, especially after his hattrick in their last league game. However, the inconsistency that the Frenchman has shown over the years cannot be explained away. There have been phases were Martial has not had any remarkable output, thus making the need of another centre-forward apparent. Ighalo’s loan has been extended with him slated to stay till the end of this year, but the Nigerian’s lack of quality would not guarantee him a place in the side week in week out.
This is where Jimenez could be vital to the side as he would improve the overall quality of the squad and also give a competition of places to Martial and Ighalo. The ex-Atletico man could combine well with Bruno Fernandes and Pogba to keep the opposition defenders at bay next season.
Stats from Whoscored.
