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Mexico national team forward Raúl Jiménez is set to go under the knife on Friday in a procedure that will keep him out of action for the remainder of the year.
The experienced forward has been sidelined since mid-September due to an MCL injury he had hoped to manage through non-surgical treatment. On Wednesday, Wolverhampton Wanderers issued a detailed statement confirming the most unfavorable outcome for Jiménez.
"Raúl damaged his left MCL in the match against Everton," Wolves performance director Phil Hayward stated, "which was four weeks ago now and unfortunately the injury hasn't responded the way we anticipated, so we've determined that the best course of action is surgery to repair that ligament.
"Typically, a relatively minor ligament injury would heal naturally on its own, however this one has not progressed as we expected, and after conducting regular scans over the past three weeks, the ligament is not recovering in the way we had hoped.
"We've sought opinions from multiple knee specialists and concluded that the most appropriate step is to proceed with surgery to regain control of the recovery timeline and have a clearer picture of when he'll be fit to return."
"He'll undergo the surgery on Friday in London, followed by approximately three months of rehabilitation before he's ready to return to the pitch," Hayward added.
It's a major setback for Wolves, who currently sit 10th in the Championship table and will now be deprived of their iconic striker for a prolonged spell. However, the news may sting even more for El Tri.
Raul Jimenez Injury Is Major Blow for Rafa Márquez's Mexico
The knee problem prevented Jiménez from participating as the Rafael Márquez era as Mexico's head coach kicked off during the September-October international window.
El Tri failed to secure a single victory in their opening four matches following the 2026 World Cup, dropping their final two games of the window in humiliating defeats against the USMNT and a weaker Chile side. Mexico managed just two goals across four games, with neither coming from a center forward, and they were shut out in both losses.
At 35, Jiménez remains a cornerstone of El Tri's attack. The nation's second all-time top scorer has contributed 11 of Mexico's last 25 goals across their three most recent official tournament appearances (44%). Other strikers account for just two goals in that same stretch.
"He [Jiménez] visited a specialist yesterday and it was determined he will have surgery on Friday," Mexico national team director Duilio Davino said on Wednesday. "We hope he returns to the pitch as soon as possible because he's an extremely important player for the national team, one we all want available and who still has a great deal to offer."
Jiménez will miss at least two matches for Mexico as a result of his surgery — two crucial fixtures early in Márquez's reign.
Raul Jimenez Out for El Tri vs. Jamaica in Nations League Quarterfinals
Mexico will be without Jiménez when they take on Jamaica in the two-legged Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals in November to close out El Tri's 2026 schedule. The first two official fixtures of Márquez's tenure appear manageable on paper, yet Mexico is well aware of how tricky these encounters can be.
El Tri travels to Jamaica for the opening leg of the tie, having lost their two most recent away first legs in the competition 2–0 against Honduras in both 2023 and 2024 despite fielding a clearly superior squad. Without Jiménez, the challenge becomes significantly more daunting.
Armando González, Santiago Gimenez, and Germán Berterame are the leading candidates to spearhead El Tri's attack in November, but the three struggled to impress in the recent friendlies, reinforcing the belief that Mexico cannot reach its peak form without the Wolves striker on the field.
Nevertheless, Márquez will have no excuses if the reigning nations league champions are eliminated by Jamaica, particularly given that El Tri will host the second leg at Estadio BBVA in Monterrey on Nov. 17.
With Jiménez watching from the sidelines, the inexperienced manager must guide Mexico past Jamaica in his first official matches in charge, or risk facing enormous scrutiny just six games into his tenure.