EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WOLVES’ MATEUS MANE

From Rochdale to Molineux – Who is Mateus Mane?

There is no footballing pyramid that can contend with England’s. The depth and support is unmatched, with it being common to see passionate football fanatics spending midweek evenings supporting clubs in the tenth or eleventh tier of the English league system. Even England’s non-league now features fully professional sides competing in front of thousands of fans.

One of these clubs is Rochdale. The side from greater Manchester has fallen from League One to the fifth tier recently and overcome financial difficulties that faced the club with liquidation. One player who managed to find his way from Rochdale all the way to the pinnacle of English football is Wolves’ Mateus Mane.

Born in Portugal on the 16^th September 2007, Mane began his footballing journey with Barreirense Youth but moved to Rochdale at just 8 years old in 2016. Mane caught the eye for Rochdale’s youth team and eight years later found himself on the bench for a National League game on the 3^rd February 2024 with Dagenham and Redbridge.

The promise was clear to see and, despite a trial with Southampton, he opted to sign for Wolves in the summer of that year. A flurry of youth international debuts were soon to follow, being selected for the Portugal U17s and England U18s in quick succession. The international tug of war seemingly came to its conclusion in October, when both England and Portugal named Mane in their U18 squads for the international break. Mane subsequently chose to play for England, and it appears that may be where Mane sees his future for now.

Despite his rapid ascension to the top of English football, Mane has still yet to make his senior debut. He came so close for Rochdale last year but this year it may finally happen for the 17-year-old rising star, only this time it’s in the Premier League.

Mane was an unused substitute for Vitor Pereira’s Wolves side against Fulham just over a year after his selection against Dagenham and with Matheus Cunha’s upcoming suspension, the youngster may be called upon again.

Pereira was full of praise for Mane, claiming the forward has “a bright future at our club” in a press conference following the loss to Fulham, and he’s not the only one. The Guardian named Mane as ‘one to watch’ on their most recent next generation list and Wolves U18 boss Richard Walker says that the youngster offers “plenty to be excited about.”

Mane’s numbers for Walker’s team this season speak for themselves, with 5 goals and 3 assists in 10 U18 Premier League appearances, a delightful hat-trick in the U17 Premier League Cup and an U21 debut against AS Monaco in the Premier League International Cup followed by a further substitute appearance in a loss to Salford in the EFL Trophy. With all these impressive landmarks this season, the question is what’s next?

Though a first-team debut is on the cards this season, especially with the injuries and suspensions plaguing Wolves’ forward line, his first thought has to be making himself a regular for the youth teams. Having just returned from injury, Mane will need to re-establish himself as the U18s regular number 9, which Mane is already making progress towards following a goal against Newcastle on Saturday, before he can aim for some more U21 experience.

The door is open with the departures of Owen Farmer, Josh Esen and Fletcher Holman  in January, and Dani Angel will need some back-up for the remainder of the PL2 season. Angel himself is in fine form, with 4 goals in his last six games. Mane will also be aiming for more international experience as the March window rapidly approaches, whether that is with Portugal or England. The bottom line is that no matter which age group or national team he plays for next, there will be plenty of eyes on Wolves’ young striker.