History

Nuno Espirito Santo has defended star striker Raul Jimenez after his involvement in an incident with Leeds United’s Robin Koch. Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Jimenez tangled with Koch near to his manager on the touchline during their win over Leeds on Monday. Referee David Coote didn’t spot the coming together, while VAR reviewed it and didn’t take any retrospective action. “Incidents happen during the game,” said Nuno. “The referee is there to judge and take a decision. “What I see in Raul is a very fair football player. Sometimes when you play with your back to your opponent you are more suited to get physical contact and he deals with that well knowing it is part of the game.” Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will auto-play soon8Cancel Jimenez’s winning goal at Leeds was his 47th in 107 appearances for Wolves, while he’s also contributed his fair share of assists in that time. His ascent to become one of the Premier League’s most revered forwards has been made all the more impressive by the hectic workload he’s taken on with his country. In the last two years Jimenez has become the poster boy for Mexico’s national team and recently starred in their friendlies with the Netherlands and Algeria. The 29-year-old scored the winner from the penalty spot against the Netherlands before creating both of El Tri’s goals in a 2-2 draw with Algeria. Read More Related Articles Read More Related Articles Remarkably, all the travelling hasn’t taken its toll on Jimenez. He’s played every minute in the Premier League this season and continues to accumulate extraordinary goal scoring statistics. “With Raul, it’s been a challenge for him and for us to manage the minutes that he plays,” Nuno explained. “He played in the Gold Cup with Mexico at the beginning of last season but he’s been able to perform very well and sustain his levels of fitness. “And again this season, it’s always a challenge for him and for us. I see Raul very well, I see him fresh and available, and when he’s like that all the talent emerges and he’s able to help the team. “He treats himself very well. The days that he needs to recover, he’s really committed to it. When he works during matches, he gives everything that he has. He is always able to pass that barrier of eventual fatigue.” Wolves daily newsletter. Free. To your inbox There's a quick and easy way to stay on top of all the Wolverhampton Wanderers news with our daily newsletter. Delivered straight into your email inbox each day, the bulletins will feature the latest Wolves news, views, gossip and opinion. All you have to do is punch your email in at the top of the article - it looks just like this...   And what's more, it's absolutely free! You can also get all the latest updates by following us on Facebook and Twitter. We also have a free app which you can download. It is always up-to-date with the latest news from across the region. Google Play Store and App Store Nuno and his medical staff scrutinise every minor detail about Jimenez’s fitness and share their findings with their Mexican national team counterparts. The club have gone to great lengths to ensure Jimenez is always ready to compete and while record-signing Fabio Silva is waiting in the wings, Wolves’ number nine doesn’t look like he needs a breather. “Raul has always been involved with the national team so we exchange information with the national team staff. (It means) they can decide better and have the information of how Raul is, not only him but all the national team players. “It helps that both of the staff are able to take care of the players.”