Mateus Mane: Why both Manchester United and Liverpool are linked with the multi-talented Wolves wonderkid
Despite Pereira’s praise, Mane didn’t actually feature once for Wolves before the Portuguese coach’s dismissal on November 2, after a historically poor start to the 2025-26 season. The youngster only got his first minutes of the campaign under interim boss Jamie Collins, against Chelsea, before becoming a regular under Pereira’s permanent successor, Rob Edwards, who gave Mane his first start at Anfield on December 27.
“I found out the day before in a meeting that I was playing – I was buzzing,” Mane admitted. “I told my family, then felt confident. At first, there were a lot of nerves, but then after a bit you realise this is where you want to play, where you want to be.
“I feel like I deserved it with my hard work in training and when I’ve come on the pitch every game. I just kept working with my head down, I kept working and working, then the new manager came in and trusted me, and now I’m getting what deserved – game time.”
Edwards started him again three days later, at another of football’s most famous grounds, Old Trafford, and Mane was arguably the best player on the pitch as Wolves picked up only their third point of the season by holding Manchester United to a 1-1 draw.
The following week, he inspired the Premier League’s basement boys to their first win of the campaign by winning a penalty and then opening his account at senior level in a 3-0 victory over West Ham at Molineux.
“We found him a lot in between the lines, and he was able to create,” Edwards enthused. “I thought his energy was brilliant, his running was brilliant, he took risks, he had shots, he dribbled, he turned and played forward… just a real shining light.”
