Wolves have confirmed that striker Raul Jimenez has undergone surgery after he suffered a fractured skull during the early stages of their 2-1 win at Arsenal on Sunday night.
The Mexican clashed heads with Gunners defender David Luiz while defending an Arsenal corner and received oxygen on the pitch during 10 minutes of treatment.
“Raul is comfortable following an operation last night, which he underwent in a London hospital," read a Wolves statement.
“He has since seen his partner Daniela and is now resting. He will remain under observation for a few days while he begins his recovery.
“The club would like to thank the medical staff at Arsenal, the NHS paramedics, hospital staff and surgeons who, through their skill and early response, were of such help.
“The club ask that Raul and his family are now afforded a period of space and privacy, before any further updates are provided in due course.”
It is not yet known how long Jimenez will be missing for, but his absence will be a huge blow to Wolves.
The 29-year-old has scored 44 goals for the club since joining from Benfica, initially on loan, in 2018.
Headway renews concussion subs calls
Headway, the brain injury association, has reiterated its call for concussion substitutes to be introduced in football.
While Jimenez was replaced at the Emirates, a patched up Luiz continued despite blood seeping through his head bandage. The Brazilian was eventually substituted at half-time.
Headway has expressed its “anger and disappointment at football’s continued failings to protect its players from concussion” in a statement and said its thoughts were with Jimenez and his family.
But it was Luiz’s continued participation in the match that was the big concern for Luke Griggs, the association's deputy chief executive.
Griggs said: “Too often in football we see players returning to the pitch having undergone a concussion assessment only to be withdrawn a few minutes later when it is clear that they are not fit to continue.
“That is the very reason why we urgently need temporary concussion substitutes in football. You simply cannot take a risk with head injuries. One further blow to the head when concussed could have serious consequences.
“The question that has to be asked is, had the concussion substitutes rule been in place, would Luiz have been allowed to return to the field of play? Would that extra time in the treatment room have led to a different decision being made?
“The concussion protocol clearly states that ‘…anyone with a suspected concussion must be immediately removed from play’, while the sport continues to promote an ‘if in doubt, sit it out’ approach to head injuries.
“Time and time again we are seeing this rhetoric not being borne out by actions on the pitch. Something is not right. This cannot be allowed to continue. How many warnings does football need?”
Arsenal insisted the club followed all the protocols, with manager Mikel Arteta saying: “He responded really well to all of them. David wanted to continue but at half-time we decided to take him out because he wasn’t comfortable heading the ball.”
Jimenez is said by Wolves to be “comfortable” after undergoing an operation on his injury at a London hospital on Sunday night and will now begin a period of recovery.
