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Rubio, who also had spells as assistant manager at Crystal Palace and West Ham, felt Jimenez fully deserved such a moment after what he has been through.

“After his head injury it took a bit of time to get back into the career,” said Rubio.

“There were not just medical concerns, but also would he be the same killer in front of goal? His application is tremendous, he is a lovely guy, his family are beautiful and very supportive and that has helped him.

“He is a very family person. He is a big player but never acts like one and he is very humble and I’m delighted for him.

“It was life-threatening injury and I felt scared for him. At that moment he was doing so well, he was at the top of his career and it was very difficult.”

But Jimenez’s determination has led to him scoring 68 Premier League goals in 233 appearances. Even now, he still needs to wear a reinforced headband to protect himself from further injury.

“Having known him I could see why he has been able to get back on to the pitch [after the injury] and get back into his form,” added Rubio. “He is a fighter. I worked with him in his last year at Wolves. There were doubts, even with himself, that he was going to get back into it and that last year at Wolves was a challenging year for him.

“But there were no doubts for me personally, I always knew he would get back into it. I’ve worked with many top professionals and you can see he has the resilience and has a lovely family supporting him.

“Everyone there [at Wolves] loved him, the whole club wanted him to do well and the whole club was invested for him to get back so it was very emotional, not only because of his career, but also because he is such a loving character.

“He was so invested in the club, the city and his family felt like it was home, that’s why I feel they will be delighted to be going back there.”

But, before Jimenez will be back in the West Midlands, he has further chances to score more World Cup goals in his home country, with Mexico already in a strong position to advance into the knockout rounds.

Wolves have signed former England full-back Kieran Trippier and are in talks to re-sign former striker Raul Jimenez on a free transfer.

Trippier left Newcastle at the end of the season when his contract expired and has signed a two-year deal at Molineux.

The 35-year-old played 160 times for Newcastle after joining from Atletico Madrid in January 2022, and made 54 appearances for England between 2017 and 2024.

“We know what we’ve lacked this year, and we know what we need next year – experience, leadership, resilient characters and strong characters,” said head coach Rob Edwards, external.

“That’s what we’re going to need in abundance, and Tripps ticks every box.”

Jimenez, 35, was listed by Fulham on Monday among a group of players set to leave the Premier League club when his contract expires at the end of the month.

It is understood negotiations have begun over a return to Molineux, where he scored 57 goals in 166 games between 2018 and 2023.

His 40 Premier League goals make him Wolves’ top scorer in the English top flight.

Jimenez is on international duty with World Cup hosts Mexico, who begin the tournament against South Africa on Thursday.

Wolves are looking to rebuild after finishing bottom of the Premier League last season and being relegated to the Championship.