BT Sport pundit Joe Cole has suggested the injury to Raul Jimenez made life much more difficult for Fabio Silva specifically at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The striker had no involvement against Manchester United today, but was out warming up before kick-off so that fans could get a glimpse of their talisman.
It had been decided that Jimenez will return for the start of 2021/22 rather than be risked against the Red Devils.
It was a great to see the Mexican out on the pitch even if it was just to warm up, and it’ll be brilliant to see him pull on the Old Gold shirt again when at one point, the notion of that was in jeopardy.
During the build up to today’s game on BT Sport, Cole spoke about the impact of losing a player like Jimenez, and highlighted the struggles of young Silva.
He said just before kick-off: “The young player coming in (Silva), he would have been the ideal foil for Jimenez, to learn from.
“So he’s missed out in his development. Not working with Jimenez, he’s had the burden on his shoulders. He’ll be glad to see him back so he can learn from him.”
Silva has indeed missed out
Not only has the team been stung by Jimenez’s absence, but Silva really has been robbed of some potential extra development, as Cole says.
Jimenez has been one of the best strikers in the Premier League since his arrival on English shores.
He has an exceptional all-round game, and the fact Silva has not had any chances to play with him and very little time to train properly with him is a real shame.
Arguably it’s only increased the pressure on him.