Raul Jimenez injury: Wolves striker issues statement after fractured skull vs Arsenal

Wolves striker Raul Jimenez has already set his sights on a return after fracturing his skull in Sunday’s win on the road at Arsenal. The Mexican sustained the horrific injury following a sickening clash of heads with Gunners defender David Luiz at the Emirates Stadium and the incident overshadowed a fine performance on the road from Nuno Espirito Santo’s side.

Jimenez was attempting to head the ball away from his own six-yard box when he collided with his opponent Luiz, who was also left bloodied before controversially continuing until half-time, when he was subbed off by Mikel Arteta.

The 29-year-old was forced to undergo surgery in a London hospital on Sunday night after receiving oxygen on the pitch, during a 10-minute delay.

Wolves issued a statement yesterday morning, conforming that their No 9 was ‘comfortable’ in hospital and in the company of his wife Daniela.

It read: “Raul is comfortable following an operation last night, which he underwent in a London hospital. He has since seen his partner, Daniela, and is now resting.

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Raheem Sterling, Jamie Vardy and Jack Grealish were among those to send their well-wishes to Jimenez on social media.

Former Tottenham and England midfielder Ryan Mason was forced to retire back in 2018 while playing for Hull, following a similar incident which saw him fracture his skull during a clash with Chelsea’s Gary Cahill.

The 29-year-old, who nearly lost his life as a result of the coming together, has been left angered that Luiz was given the green-light to continue for an additional 40 minutes after being bandaged up on the touchline.

“I was quite upset to see something like that happen on a football pitch again, it’s very concerning,” Mason told talkSPORT.

“It’s a real shame my incident didn’t change the perception; what is it really going to take for people to start realising this is something really, really serious?

“I’ll be honest, I was shocked David Luiz was allowed to play on. I’m not criticising the Arsenal doctor because there’s a protocol in place and I’m sure he’s followed that.

“But that protocol that is currently in place is not enough; it’s not enough just to have two or three minutes, it’s not enough.

“It was a bad one; the noise, the impact, the speed of the challenge as well – it was a bad one. It didn’t help that there were no fans and you could actually hear the point of contact.”

source: express.co.uk