Julen Lopetegui
Wolves boss Julen Lopetegui says he can understand Raul Jimenez being disappointed he didn’t get on the pitch for Wolves’ final home game of the season, amid speculation the striker will be moving on at the end of the season. Jimenez appeared to show some frustration when he didn’t come on as a substitute in the 1-1 draw against Everton. The 32-year-old striker has been linked with a move away after five years at Molineux, and, although Lopetegui wasn’t drawn on a potential move, he said he was sorry he couldn’t get the player on the pitch for this game. Jimenez came on as a substitute in last week’s 2-0 defeat at Manchester United but
Julen Lopetegui said: “For any players that didn’t play today, it was a pity for me as a coach because I am human. I am talking about Raul Jimenez, he deserved to play in front of his fans. Today I think maybe I am worried with myself about this. But we tried to balance the match and it was a pity. I tried to choose and maybe I can do better as a coach and put him on the pitch for the last ten minutes. But it is not a gift for him. He has been a very important player here and I hope he continues to be. But I don’t know what is going to happen with him and other players.”
Asked about Jimenez looking unhappy at not getting on,
Julen Lopetegui added: “Sure, that is normal. Maybe he is not happy but I always try to be honest with players. Sometimes you can’t make all the things perfect as a coach. You have to fight to win, you have to respect the competition and show the other teams you want to win because maybe you could be in the same position another year. You have to be professional (as a coach) and, after, you have to take an emotional decision. So, maybe with this situation, maybe I can do a little bit better as a coach. I am critical of myself.”
