Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Wolves loanee Marlon Harewood has highlighted one dilemma that comes with having a striker like Raul Jimenez.
Jimenez has been a revelation at Molineux since arriving on an initial loan deal from Benfica back in the summer of 2018. He scored 13 Premier League goals in that 2018/19 season before bagging an even more impressive tally of 17 the following campaign.
Indeed, the Mexico international has had a huge impact at Wolves, helping the Midlands club to firmly establish themselves as a Premier League outfit. His impact, however, has been so huge, manager Nuno Espirito Santo is struggling to find adequate cover for his main man, according to Harewood.
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When asked how difficult can it be for a manager to find a capable alternative who’s willing to sit on the bench, Harewood told FFC:
“It’s very difficult. To be fair, I was that player when I was at Aston Villa. Sometimes it will depend on the manager that you’ve got there. They use man-management skills off the field when [they] deal with the team as a whole.
“He had belief in me but, at the same time, I couldn’t get in the team because John Carew and Gabby Agbonlahor were scoring goals, which you appreciate.”
Speaking further on the subject, the retired Premier League forward added: “It is hard, but then that’s the manager’s job to find a different formula if your striker gets injured. You have to find another way to score goals.”
Bearing that in mind, Nuno will be desperate to have Jimenez available for action again, with the 29-year-old still absent after sustaining a nasty head injury against Arsenal last December.
With just 28 goals in 28 games this season, Wolves are one of the lowest scorers in the Premier League, showing not only the need for Jimenez, but also a capable deputy for when the former Atletico Madrid forward is not available.