Raul Jimenez will be in contention to return to first-team action for Fulham’s London derby with Tottenham Hotspur next weekend, according to Marco Silva.
The Mexican striker will miss tomorrow afternoon’s reunion with his old club Wolverhampton Wanderers but is back in training at Motspur Park ahead of schedule after injuring his hamstring in the goalless draw against Everton at the end of January.
Silva told his pre-match press conference ahead of the trip to Molineux:
“Raul has been involved in the training sessions. It’s probably too early for him to be involved. Next week he’s going to be available and fully fit to help the team.”
The 32 year-old might have to wait for a chance to start, however, due to the sensational form of Rodrigo Muniz, who has scored five goals in as many games since replacing Jimenez in February. The Fulham boss believes the Brazilian striker is reaping the rewards of hard work since he made the move to Craven Cottage nearly three years ago.
“The potential that I see in him is the same as when I decided to sign him and brought him from Brazil. At that age, at 20, at Flamengo, he had the same potential right now. Now it’s two and a half years, and it’s a normal process. He’s a young striker that needs time, needs confidence and goals.
The first season was really positive, for someone aged 20, without speaking English. It was a good season for him considering we had a striker who scored [more than# 40 goals. Last year was not the best for him. We decided to send him on loan to play more games, but he grew in a different way. It showed him that life is not that easy and you have to be on the top level when the chance comes and be ready.
“This season, he finally got the chance and is showing his quality. Apart from the potential he has, he’s a very good boy, trying to learn. He’s stepped up and now we have to keep supporting him the same way as before. I don’t want to take credit for the players. We are there to do our job. He was a player that, when I joined the football club, we saw in Brazil. No one knew him. He was really young. We saw some games and noticed there was something there that we could work with to develop him. I am pleased with him if he’s doing well.”
