Former Chelsea striker Diego Costa set to make Wolves debut at West Ham on Saturday

Diego Costa is lining up to make his Wolves debut at West Ham on Saturday, amid doubts about Raul Jimenez’s fitness.

Jimenez struggled with a groin injury that saw him pull up in the warm-up for the 1-0 win over Southampton on September 3, and Mexican boss Gerardo Martino admitted he was ‘concerned’ about the centre-forward this week.

With Sasa Kalajdzic out in the summer long-term with knee ligament damage, it means Costa will have an important role to play when action in the Premier League resumes, especially as Wolves have only scored three times in the league this season .

The former Chelsea and Atletico Madrid man has not played a competitive game this year and left Brazilian club Atletico Mineiro last December but started full training with Wolves before the international break and is said to have impressed boss Bruno Lage and his staff.

Costa, 33, won two Premier League titles with Chelsea between 2014-17 and has signed a contract with Molineux until the end of the season.

Jimenez miraculously returned to top football after breaking his skull in November 2020 and remains an important man for Mexico as they prepare for the tournament in Qatar, where they open their campaign against Poland on November 22.

Martino said: ‘I am optimistic. The injury is worrisome, but the goal is to help him recover and not throw in the towel thinking he’s going to make it. Don’t change your mindset. When I went to dinner with him I saw that he is positive. We have to take care of his injury and he can’t stop being positive.”