Leon Osman heaped praise on Wolves attacker Raul Jimenez and claimed that the 27-year-old has shown the Premier League as well as the country that he is a top class player this season.
The BBC pundit raved about the Wolves forward following his side’s 1-0 win over Bristol City in the FA Cup on Sunday and pointed out that he felt Jimenez had proven himself to be a fantastic find.
Osman revealed he was impressed how Jimenez was able to stretch the opposition and always be a handful for his opponent, especially when there were some questions being asked about whether Wolves had a capable centre-forward to call upon previously.
“He did, for the first two months of the season, people were questioning whether Wolves had enough in that role in that position but Raul Jimenez has really come on and shown the Premier League and the country that he is a top class player,” said Osman on BBC One’s Match of the Day: FA Cup Highlights (Sunday February 17th 22:46)
“The way he plays on shoulders, he runs over the top, you see him now with this ability to play passes in behind to create chances for his team, and he is always a handful for the opposition.
“He drifts to the right-hand side just behind centre-halves and really does stretch the opposition and just like we just said Doherty does on this right-hand side and he really helps create chances.
“He really has been a fantastic find and he has proven himself as season gone on.”
OPINION
Signing Jimenez on loan in the summer from Benfica has really proven to be a stroke of genius by Wolves as the season has unfolded. The 27-year-old has proven to be invaluable to Nuno Santo by scoring 11 goals in 30 outings, as well as contributing six assists, this season. Without Jimenez’s attacking or creative threat, Wolves may not have fared as well as they have this season. However that hasn’t had to happen too often this season and in Jimenez, Wolves have found a forward to rely upon. Also it seems based on the latest report, Jimenez may not be packing his bags and leaving Molineux anytime soon even with his loan from Benfica set to expire in the summer. This is because the Daily Mirror recently reported that Wolves have a chance of signing the attacker permanently for a fee of £30million, with Benfica ready to sanction the player’s exit. Given how important Jimenez has proven to be this season, you feel Wolves will jump at the chance to sign the attacker for that price in the summer.