Mateus Mane sends wholesome message on Instagram after finally making first-team debut for Wolves

Wolves were beaten by Brighton in the Premier League on Saturday, but there was a positive in that Mateus Mane made his first-team debut.

It’s now back-to-back defeats for Wanderers, who slipped a place in the table after Everton beat Fulham.

Wolves came up short against Brighton at Molineux, losing 2-0 with Danny Welbeck scoring from the penalty spot and then Brajan Gruda scoring late on for the Seagulls.

Some Wolves players did well. Rayan Ait-Nouri again impressed a lot of supporters with his display, although the Algerian could not add to his goals or assists tally.

But some fans did not rate the performance of Marshall Munetsi, with many feeling he should have been taken off.

But it was a great day for Mateus Mane, who finally saw some minutes for the first-team – and the youngster took to Instagram to send a message to fans.

Mateus Mane reacts after making debut for Wolves

Mane was sent into the action by Pereira just before the 90-minute mark, replacing midfielder Andre.

There was a sense that this moment had been coming for Mane, who has made the matchday squad a few times in 2025 so far.

Pereira recently hailed Mane and suggested he’ll be a part of the future of the club.

On Saturday, Pereira handed Mane the moment he’s been waiting for, and the youngster will now hope that he can build on it.

Mane became Wolves’ youngest Premier League debutant, and there are extremely high hopes that he can make an impact in the first-team.

Mane took to Instagram last night after making his debut, humbly telling fans: “Firstly I would like to thank God for this Special moment for me and my family for allowing me to make my @wolves @premierleague debut.

“Secondly I would like to thank the manager Vitor, Luis and Andre for giving me this opportunity and also my teammates and everyone at the academy for helping me to get this point. Lastly I would like to thank everyone at @officiallydale for the part they played in my journey.🐺❤️”

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Mane is a huge talent

Mane only joined Wolves from Rochdale in March 2024, and it’s been a pretty quick progression for him at Molineux.

The 17-year-old has regularly impressed, and has been training with Wolves’ first-team squad for a while now.

Pereira has already said that players at Wolves will not be handed minutes as ‘gifts’. So the fact we saw Mane make his debut against Brighton is very encouraging.

This was not Pereira just letting him have a run out.

The Portuguese manager genuinely believes in Mane’s quality, and there’s every chance he could enjoy a breakthrough in 2025/26.