Bernd Leno reacts to Raul Jimenez’s Fulham training update before Crystal Palace
Fulham striker Raul Jimenez has shared a training ground update on social media drawing a reaction from his teammate Bernd Leno.
The Mexican striker is Fulham‘s top scorer this season, having netted nine goals in the Premier League so far.
Jimenez will be without a key teammate, after the extent of Reiss Nelson’s injury was revealed.
Arsenal opted against terminating Nelson’s loan in January, and the English winger’s absence will be keenly felt at Craven Cottage.
Marco Silva may now be forced into starting Willian following his January return to Fulham, as the Cottagers struggle with injuries.
Raul Jimenez finds his feet at Fulham after injury issues
Jimenez suffered a horrendous head injury during his time at Wolves, and the striker has dealt with a series of niggling injuries during his time in West London.
However, with those fitness issues seemingly behind him, the former Atletico Madrid striker has shown glimpses of the form that made him such a hot commodity half a decade ago.
Having scored nine goals this season, he now has his best tally in the Premier League since the 2019/20 season, when he found the back of the net 17 times for Wolves.
Jimenez posted a series of images of himself on the Fulham training pitch on his Instagram, ahead of London derby against Crystal Palace.
The post was then liked by his teammate, former Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno.
Fulham quietly having a great season thanks to experienced squad
Football Insider Verdict
Antonee Robinson was linked with a move to Liverpool in January, and the American fullback is just about the only thing that has been attention-grabbing when it comes to Fulham this season.
Silva has a squad mostly built-up of players deemed not good enough, not fit enough, or just plain past it.
| Club | Average age of squad |
| West Ham | 27.9 |
| Everton | 27.8 |
| Fulham | 27.6 |
| Man City | 26.9 |
| Newcastle | 26.7 |
| Liverpool | 26.6 |
Jimenez, and his former Wolves teammate, Adama Traore, are the perfect examples of this, with both being let go of by the Midlands side, and now finding some of their best form in West London.
With an average age of 27.6 years old, Fulham are bucking the recent trend of buying young and athletic players, in favour of employing experience.