Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Raul Jimenez has been urged to make a move to Manchester United this summer by Mexico manager Gerardo Martino, according to reports. This is not the first time the 29-year-old has been linked to United and probably will not be the last, however, the £90 million price tag might say a lot, especially this summer.
United have been doing well in the goalscoring ranks at this stage of the season with Mason Greenwood scoring a brace against Bournemouth on Saturday and both Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford scoring a goal each. However, the need for a new striker is on the table with Odion Ighalo only at the club until the end of January 2021.
Mexico boss Martino feels that Jimenez is the natural number nine that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer needs in hims team, suggesting that there could well be something in this speculation, which may not make Wolves supporters happy as he has been a standout player at the club this season. However, he could be a great signing for United.
The 57-year-old Mexico manager clearly rates the striker and would see him learn a lot more at a club like United, which could be strong enough, with his arrival to carry them to a title charge next season, which in turn would bring Mexico the benefits of the player in full confidence and raring to go, with the country seeking to win something, building on their CONCACAF Gold Cup win in 2019. Martino said:
“Looking at it from the outside today I cannot see a specialist number nine like Raul at United.
“There are many forwards like Rashford, Martial and the boy who now plays as a right-winger, Greenwood, but since Romelu Lukaku left I can’t see a pure number nine like Raul.
“At Juventus, he will have more of a fight because Ronaldo shares the inside of the pitch with whoever plays alongside him, with [Paulo] Dybala or with [Gonzalo] Higuain and maybe he has a tougher fight there.”
Martino spoke further about the player, believing that the 29-year-old has a lot to weigh up before making a decision to leave Wolves. He has had teams like Juventus on his tail in the past and will be happy at Wolves, as since their rise from the Championship, this have achieved more than they were expected to and are still involved in UEFA Europa League football this season, and high up in the Premier League, seeking to keep European football on the table. Martino confirmed:
“We who see it from the outside, you [the journalist] and even me, always have the idea that a player has to aim for more and how good it would be for him to go to play for Manchester United.
“For me, that at one point in my life I was in a very big club [Barcelona], and having lived a difficult year there, I say that you have to be convinced of the step you want to take and you have to analyse it from many places.
“And he has elements to analyse it because, although he has not been at Manchester United, he was at Atletico Madrid and he was at Benfica. And he has elements to put in the balance to decide what he wants from his life.
“Maybe he wants a bigger challenge because he feels that he is in good shape and has to take advantage of it, maybe he wants to stay in this place, maybe the options you read about are not real and do not exist.
“I think the best thing is for Raul to make the decision based on the analysis he makes and with the consensus of his family because, when it comes to enjoying, not only the player suffers and enjoy, but also the family do it.”
