Raul Jimenez sends defiant Wolves message after Black Country derby blow

Raul Jimenez insists he has overcome tougher battles before as he vowed to fight back from the injury ruling him out of Sunday’s Black Country derby.

Jimenez took to social media with a defiant message to Wolves supporters after suffering a knee injury in Tuesday’s EFL Cup defeat at Everton.

The striker will now miss Wolves’ Molineux clash with fierce rivals West Brom - a fixture he has twice been forced to sit out following the serious head injury he suffered in 2020.

In a post on Instagram, Jimenez wrote: “I’ve overcome tougher battles before. Today is just one more.”

Jimenez started the cup clash at Hill Dickinson Stadium but required medical attention after going into a tackle on the edge of the area.

He was subsequently substituted before half-time, with boss Cesar Peixoto confirming after the game that the Mexican will be out for several weeks.

Peixoto admitted losing one of his key players is a blow ahead of the derby and revealed Jimenez was frustrated by the setback.

“We’re frustrated and Raul himself is frustrated too,” he said.

Jimenez had been due to play only the first 45 minutes at Everton as part of planned game time to maintain his fitness.

The injury means he will miss his third Black Country derby, having also been absent for both behind-closed-doors meetings in 2021 following his serious head injury against Arsenal in November 2020.

The legendary Wolves striker made a stunning return to the club this summer and marked it with a late winner at Sheffield United last weekend.

But he will now be forced to watch from the sidelines on Sunday as his team-mates look to claim victory over their local rivals in front of a packed Molineux.