There was an outrageous pass with the outside of his boot for Wolves’ sixth goal in their FA Cup win over Shrewsbury, the sort of skill that would have had fans excited about Mateus Mane a month ago. Too late. It was not even the best thing he did that week.
Mane’s equaliser at Everton just days earlier had featured an exquisite first touch and a composed finish. That came on the back of Wolves’ first Premier League win in which Mane set up the first, won the penalty for the second and hammered home the third.
At Manchester United in the game before that, he was arguably the best player on the pitch. He was not far off at Liverpool, where Rob Edwards’ decision to move him central changed the game. At Arsenal, his assist almost helped to snatch an unlikely point.
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Highlights from the Premier League match between Wolves and West Ham
It has been an astonishing impact by the 18-year-old attacking midfielder given that he was thrust into a hopeless situation with Wolves adrift at the bottom and the mood bleak. Mane has almost single-handedly transformed the mood around Molineux.
Having not played a minute of this campaign under Vitor Pereira, Mane has become the soundtrack to the second half of the season, his name sung loud and proud to the tune of Zombie by The Cranberries. He is in their head and Wolves are now four unbeaten.
How has he done it? It would be a cliché to claim that he is playing without fear but the observation is difficult to miss when so many of his more experienced team-mates had looked paralysed by it. The contrast has been profound, his exuberance conspicuous.
Without Mane, Wolves did not have anyone willing to run at an opponent let alone beat them. In doing so, he is making things happen. Rolling his marker to open the space for Jhon Arias’ goal against West Ham. Running in behind to receive the ball at Everton.
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Highlights from Everton’s draw with Wolves in which Mateus Mane equalised
It explains why Mane has sent such a shot of electricity through the crowd, but just as significantly through his own team-mates. Asking Edwards about Mane after that long-awaited win over West Ham, he talked of a teenager already proving an inspiration.
“Another really brave performance, another selfless performance,” said the Wolves boss. “He is 18, but he is almost like a little bit of a leader in there as well. I think it is infectious. He is rubbing off on people, I think, with his energy, his enthusiasm.”
How many others of his age can claim that? For context, he is already one of only two teenagers playing in the Premier League to have found the net more than once this season. His goals came four days apart. He had not even made his full debut at Christmas.
Since then, he has established himself as an integral figure in the team. The only minutes that he has missed in the Premier League since being thrust in at Anfield came as a result of Edwards wanting to ensure that he received his own standing ovation.
Mateus Mane’s Premier League minutes by position for Wolves show his versatility
All of which focuses on his energy and endeavour but if this was a mere case of a youngster showing the right attitude, half the Premier League would not be monitoring his progress. His precociousness includes tactical maturity and technical quality too.
As Edwards has pointed out, Mane is showing more to his game with every appearance. After initially being introduced as a winger, the coach tweaked things in the second half against Liverpool to move him inside, from where he caused all manner of problems.
“We found him a lot in between the lines, and he was able to create,” said Edwards. “I thought his energy was brilliant, his running was brilliant, but he was brave. He took risks, he had shots, he dribbled, he turned and played forward … a real shining light.”
His adaptability was made even more obvious at Old Trafford. Mane went to bed the night before thinking he would be in an advanced role but an injury at the back forced a rethink, preventing Ladislav Krejci stepping into midfield. Mane had to play as a No 8.
“I think he thought he was going to be playing as No 10,” said Edwards after the 1-1 draw. “We were talking to him about that last night at dinner, and then today obviously things have changed. So to show that level of understanding, really, really impressive.”
There was a recovery tackle on Casemiro late on where he ate up the ground to win back possession. “That is the stuff we need,” said Edwards, who talked of him “playing out of position” but has kept him there since. Again, surprising even his own coach.
The fact that Mane has already delivered away from home at the three biggest clubs in the country reveals plenty about his mentality too. No shrinking violet, he may have still been at Rochdale in 2024 but he felt he was ready for this. He is not being fast-tracked.
His comments after the Liverpool game – his full Premier League debut, remember – highlight that. His answer to the first question included the line: “I feel like I deserve it.” The second answer? “Now I am getting what I deserve in game time,” said Mane.
Asked about his assured demeanour, he replied: “I deserve to be here. This is where I want to be, I am here and I want to take people’s places.” Finally, when asked what supporters should expect, he said the first goal was coming. It did, the very next weekend.
Sunday 18th January 1:00pm
Kick off 2:00pm
No wonder Edwards says he has a “big-game mentality” but what happens next will be interesting now that he has had a taste of it. There is already interest in him. Wolves may soon need to make the case that he will benefit from a season in the Championship.
If the player himself is impatient, it will be because he is already showing he is ready to play at the top level and with 17 games of the Premier League season still to come, Mane’s current trajectory suggests there will be many more special moments ahead.
Edwards summarised: “He has got a lot more to go because he is 18 and we are going to see that. Physically, he is going to continue to get better. What I love is his intelligence, his enthusiasm, his bravery and obviously then his technical quality as well. He is ticking a lot of the boxes.”
And transforming a team in the process.
