Wolves striker Jimenez to have knee surgery

What the report says

Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Raul Jimenez is set to miss several months after being told he needs surgery on his left knee. BBC Sport reports that the 35-year-old Mexico international has not improved as expected following treatment for a medial collateral ligament injury suffered in Wolves’ Carabao Cup defeat at Everton in September.

Wolves director of performance Phil Hayward said repeated scans over the past three weeks showed the ligament was not healing in the anticipated way. Jimenez is due to have an operation in London on Friday and is expected to need about three months of rehabilitation before returning to action, which would keep him sidelined until January.

The update is a setback for Wolves, who have been relying on experienced attacking options as they continue their Championship campaign. Jimenez’s absence also comes after he was substituted during the Everton match when the injury occurred. BBC Sport noted that the club has received more encouraging news on other injured players, including Rodrigo Gomes, Bertrand Traore and Boubacar Traore, all of whom are progressing in their recoveries.

More broadly, knee surgeries of this kind can mean a carefully managed rehabilitation period before a player is cleared to train and play fully again, though individual recovery timelines can vary.