Raul Jimenez faces knee surgery as Wolves expect January return

Wolves striker Raul Jimenez is expected to be unavailable until January after the club decided he needs surgery on his left knee, BBC Sport reported. The 35-year-old Mexico international is scheduled to have the operation in London on Friday, with around three months of rehabilitation expected before he can return to action.

Watch the highlights:

Jimenez damaged his medial collateral ligament during Wolves' Carabao Cup defeat at Everton a month ago. Treatment has not produced the recovery the club had anticipated. Director of performance Phil Hayward said a relatively low-grade injury of this type would normally heal without surgery, but repeated scans over the past three weeks showed that the ligament was not recovering as expected. That assessment has led to the decision to operate.

The club also provided updates on Rodrigo Gomes, Bertrand Traore and Boubacar Traore, with Hayward describing progress in each player's recovery. Their situations differ from Jimenez's, although the update did not give a fixed return date for any of the three. Gomes is recovering from an ankle injury, Bertrand Traore has a hamstring problem and Boubacar Traore has been sidelined by a calf issue.

Gomes injured two ankle ligaments, making his rehabilitation less straightforward than a simple ankle problem. Hayward said inflammation still needed to subside before the club could increase his workload and get him working outdoors again. He nevertheless indicated that the injury was not expected to keep Gomes out for a lengthy period.

For Bertrand Traore, the concern is the location of a relatively small hamstring injury. Hayward said that part of the muscle can be susceptible to repeat problems, so Wolves are taking care with his recovery. Boubacar Traore, meanwhile, has resumed work on the pitch with rehabilitation coaches after a couple of weeks out. Hayward expects him to rejoin full training within the next week or two following a positive response to treatment.

The injury update comes with Wolves ninth in the Championship, separated from the play-off places only by goal difference. They travel to Burnley on Friday evening, the same day Jimenez is scheduled for surgery.