Tata Martino Confident Of Jimenez Participation At Tokyo Olympic Games

Mexico manager Tata Martino is confident Raul Jimenez will recover in time to feature at this summer’s Tokyo Olympic Games.

Tata Martino Confident Of Jimenez Participation At Tokyo Olympic Games

Jimenez has not played for his club side Wolverhampton Wanderers since suffering a sickening clash of heads with Arsenal defender David Luiz in a Premier League game at the Emirates Stadium.

The 29-year-old former Benfica striker was later diagnosed with a fractured skull but Wolves are confident that the Mexican international will recover in time for the summer Olympics.

Jimenez has started light non-contact training but his return to full fitness is unknown.

"Raul is good. He's training normally with us, apart from contact training. He's not doing that," former Barcelona manager Martino told reporters ahead of Mexico’s friendly game with Wales on Saturday.

"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 have given us.

"He hasn't yet started to engage in contact training at his club, and we are monitoring him medically and in training on the pitch. We are certainly responding to what his team wants in his training."

He added: "I think we need to see when his club will decide to play him, when he gets the green light from doctors definitively.

"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 it all depends on what happens at Wolves in the coming 50 days."

Before suffering the horrendous injury, Jimenez had scored four goals in 10 Premier League games.