Wolves supporters are excited about the football club’s future after what Vitor Pereira has achieved, and there is reason to be hopeful about their academy.
At the start of the campaign, Wolves had used zero club-trained academy players in their first-team squad.
Since then, only young centre-back Alfie Pond has played a single minute in the Premier League during the 4-1 win over Fulham in November.
Wolves haven’t seen a player truly graduate from the academy and become an elite talent since Morgan Gibbs-White, something Vitor Pereira is keen to change.
That is perhaps made possible by the emergence of Mateus Mane in the youth setup as the 17-year-old forward continues to light up the under-18s.
Vitor Pereira predicts Premier League stardom for Mateus Mane
Wolves signed Mane from Rochdale in March 2024, seeing the England youth international as a star of the future.
The youngster has since showcased his talent in the academy, becoming arguably their best wonderkid with seven goals and four assists in 15 under-18 Premier League appearances.
Academy coach Richard Walker even called Mane the ‘best player’ on the pitch during a defeat to Manchester City in March, with Pereira also sharing high hopes for the electric forward.
Having named him on the bench against Fulham, Tottenham and Manchester United, a first-team opportunity is just around the corner, with Pereira tipping him to become a star of the future.
“He is a talent. He has a lot of quality and I believe he will be part of the future of this club,” the Portuguese boss said via the E&S.
“I want to give him some minutes. We will see if it’s possible, because I haven’t yet found the right opportunity to give him the minutes he deserves.
“He works a lot, and he is a player whose future I can project – not with a crystal ball because I don’t have one, but I believe he will be one of the figures in the future of the Premier League.
“He’s young, he’s very young, but he has the talent.”
- READ MORE: Wolves’ wonderkid is knocking on Vitor Pereira’s door after scoring outrageous goal for under-18s
Wolves have a rare luxury in the final three matches
Under Gary O’Neil, many felt their fight against relegation would go down to the wire, dicing with the idea of going down.
But now that the Wanderers have climbed to safety and are looking up the table rather than down, they can afford to experiment in their final three matches.
That should mean a first-team opportunity for Mane, perhaps from the substitute bench, with supporters keen to see how he copes.
Wolves rarely have anything to play for in the final stretch of a campaign, and while they want to accrue as many points as possible for increased Premier League prize money, the highest they can realistically finish is 12th.
Indeed, giving Mane a chance would make his dream come true and inspire other youngsters to follow in his footsteps.