Raul Jimenez makes long-awaited return to Wolves starting lineup

Wolverhampton Wanderers star Raul Jimenez makes his long-awaited return to first-team action on Saturday afternoon, eight months after undergoing emergency surgery on a fractured skull in November 2020.

The 30-year-old suffered the terrible injury during his side's clash with Arsenal on November 29, and he's had to be patient on his road to recovery, having been forced to miss the remainder of the season due to the collision.

But Saturday's friendly with Crewe Alexandra marks a special occasion for Wolves fans and their star striker, after it was revealed that Jimenez would start his first match for the club since that horrific incident.

The Mexican star lines up alongside starlet Fabio Silva in attack, the man who tried to fill Jimenez's boots during a difficult campaign for both the player and the team. Wolves struggled to compete without their talisman's firepower up top, sliding down the Premier League table to eventually finish in 13th place.

That saw coach Nuno Espirito Santo part ways with the club, triggering the arrival of new boss Bruno Lage. Lage will be delighted to have Jimenez at his disposal for pre-season, giving the former Benfica forward plenty of time to build up match fitness ahead of the new campaign.

And for Jimenez himself, it will be a great relief to step out onto the pitch once again, after suffering an injury which many feared would bring his career to a premature end. The striker clashed heads with Arsenal star David Luiz five minutes into the match in November 2020, and had to be rushed to hospital due to his perilous condition.

Fortunately, Jimenez recovered following some major surgery on his fractured skull, even returning to light training towards the end of last season. He is now back in Wolves' starting lineup, and ready to get back to scoring goals for his club.