Raul Jimenez opens up on potentially career-ending head injury

Wolves striker Raul Jimenez has spoken about the skull fracture he sustained when he clashed heads with David Luiz in a Premier League encounter with Arsenal last November.

The Mexican played his first competitive match since the incident on Saturday as Wolves fell to a 1-0 defeat at Leicester in their league opener, during which the Foxes players congratulated Jimenez on his recovery and return to action.

Despite the potentially career-ending - and near fatal - nature of his head injury, Jimenez insisted that he had no doubts over whether he'd be able to resume his career. He told the BBC: "I always thought that after my recovery I would be back to do what I love to do. I never thought about finishing my career. There was a chance of that, but I was always confident I was going to return."

The 30-year-old spoke about how close he was to serious damage, explaining that he was told by doctors that it was 'a miracle'.

He went on to explain the injury and the precautionary headgear he now wears during matches. "The bone had broken and there was a little bit of bleeding inside my brain. That's why the surgery had to be quick and it was a really good job from the doctors.

"There have been different headguards since I started training with the team. I feel confident. If it was up to me I wouldn't use it. I would play normal," Jimenez said.

"The doctors told me it was protection to prevent something. In this moment it could be more dangerous for me than any other player. I know I have to be in the same line as the doctors and surgeons."

It was a long road back to full fitness for Jimenez, who admitted that he grew frustrated at not being able to play despite feeling well enough.

"It's something you can't feel because you feel good, you feel prepared, but then at the last moment in the MRI or the scans it tells us that it wasn't fully recovered. That was the most difficult part because you think you are ready, but you're not. It's not like I injured my knee or something I can feel when I walk. I felt really good at that moment, but it wasn't my time yet.

"I worked on that really well I think. Even when I knew that it was difficult, when I received the notice that I would not be playing last season until this season, I had to wait almost three months to play again," the striker continued. "It was just a shock in the moment, but ten minutes later I said 'OK, I need to continue recovery, keep doing what I'm doing to be ready for next season'. I was focused on recovery."

Jimenez was welcomed back with open arms by every supporter last Saturday, and will look to inspire his side to a better result when they host former Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo's Tottenham in their second Premier League fixture of the season on Sunday.

"It's going to be good. He's been really supportive during the past months. I saw him three weeks ago. He told me he was really happy to see me play again," Jimenez said about his former manager when looking ahead to that clash.