Journalist Luke Hatfield feels that Wolves boss Bruno Lage deserves credit for standing by Raul Jimenez, despite the striker having a slow start to the season.
What's the latest news involving Jimenez?
Jimenez has faced a very difficult period in his career for much of the past year after suffering a fractured skull against Arsenal last November.
That serious injury kept him out for the remainder of the 2020/21 season, but he was cleared to return to action at the start of the current campaign.
The Mexican forward, who is valued at £25.2m by Transfermarkt, has played every minute in the Premier League so far this term, but he failed to score in his opening five appearances.
Still, Lage kept faith with Jimenez, and he was rewarded for his patience when the 30-year-old netted the winning goal in Wolves' 1-0 victory over Southampton last weekend.
What has Hatfield said about Lage continuing to play Jimenez?
Some managers may have dropped Jimenez for his performances in recent weeks, but Lage has trusted him to come good. Hatfield believes Lage's brave decision warrants recognition, and he has claimed that Jimenez is starting to show signs that he is returning to his best form.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT about whether Lage was right to stick with Jimenez, Hatfield said: “Yeah, there’s a little bit of credit to go to Lage. He’s obviously trusted in him, and the players trusted in Lage and the system, and it’s finally paid some dividends.
“But for Jimenez now, he’ll be looking to push on. He’ll want to put this whole injury thing behind him. He wants to be the player that he was, and obviously try to recapture that form, and he looks like he’s on his way to doing that.”
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How soon can Jimenez rediscover his best form?
It was always unlikely that Jimenez was going to come back in and hit the ground running straight away after such a traumatic experience which could easily have ended his playing days. Yet the fact that he is consistently starting games shows just how important he is to this Wolves side.
Will he ever get back to being the same player who scored 30 goals across his first two seasons in the Premier League? Right now, it's too early to tell.
However, getting off the mark for the season last Sunday was certainly a step in the right direction, and if he can get on the scoresheet again this afternoon against Newcastle, it would send out a clear message that he is on his way back and should not be written off just yet.