Wolves boss Julen Lopetegui fires brutal warning to striker Raul Jimenez after dropping him for last two games
JULEN LOPETEGUI has told Wolves’ out-of-contract stars to put the club’s future first and warned Raul Jimenez can’t live on past glories.
Golden oldies Joao Moutinho, 36, and Diego Costa, 34, along with Adama Traore can walk away for nothing this summer.
Julen Lopetegui has warned out-of-contract stars to start playing for the badgeRex
GettyRaul Jimenez can leave the club for free this summer[/caption]
Adama Traore and Diego Costa are also out of contract this summerGetty
Silence is golden regarding talks with the trio, while discussions stalled with speedster Traore, 27, as he wants more minutes on the pitch.
“It’s not the moment to talk about the future of any player – we’re in the middle of the battle,” said boss Lopetegui.
“The only important thing is the future of the club.
“The only future I know is to compete at Leicester as a final and we have to be ready.
“The focus and all our spirit has to go into the match.”
Wolves are seven points clear of the drop zone before today’s relegation crunch derby at second-bottom Leicester.
Asked if talks would take place when the team is safe, the head coach said: “Maybe it is going to be a different moment.
“We can’t spend all time and energy talking about the future of anyone.”
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Much-improved Costa finally got off the mark at the 19th time of asking in last week’s 2-0 win against Brentford and has looked a mean machine in recent weeks.
“He’s worked a lot,” added the head coach. “He doesn’t take any short cuts for his future.
“What he’s done has been normal, working with the nutritionist and our fitness coaches. Why can’t he get sharper?”
Jimenez, 31, has been frozen out of the squad for the last two games which Wolves have won.
The Mexico striker, 31, is the club’s record Premier League scorer with 40 goals in 133 games but hasn’t netted in the top flight since March 2022.
“In football, for any player or coach you cannot live on the past,” said Lopetegui.
“He’s been our first choice in a lot of matches and he has to continue working and being ready to again be the first choice of his coach.”
