The one Wolves player who actually may hope no new manager arrives before Chelsea

It currently feels touch-and-go as to whether Wolves will appoint a new manager before the game with Chelsea, but one player may hope the situation stays as it is.

Wolves sacked Vitor Pereira on Sunday, with Fosun finally acting after a shocking defeat to Fulham.

Pereira’s position had become untenable, having only taken two points from 10 Premier League games and leaving the club eight points adrift of safety.

Wolves are now in the process of hiring a new manager – and many names have been mentioned.

Brendan Rodgers, Gary O’Neil, Rob Edwards, Michael Carrick, Erik ten Hag, Robbie Keane, Rui Borges and Rui Vitoria have all been mentioned, but Wolves still haven’t made a breakthrough.

It’s been suggested that Wolves aren’t particularly close to naming a successor.

And that actually might be welcome news for Mateus Mane.

Mateus Mane has golden chance to make Wolves squad under James Collins

Mateus Mane is a player many Wolves fans feel they haven’t seen anywhere near enough of this season.

In fact, fans have not seen him at all – certainly in first-team action anyway.

All of Mane’s minutes this season have come with the U21s, for whom he has dazzled.

For one reason or another, Pereira was reluctant to call him up to the squad, doing so just once for Wolves’ Carabao Cup game with Chelsea. But he didn’t play him.

This, after Pereira had branded Mane ‘special’ last season and said that he would be with the first-team.

Mane is now in an interesting position.

Pereira has gone, and Wolves are managerless. If the situation stays like this until the Chelsea game, that will see U21s boss James Collins take the team against the Blues.

When Bruno Lage was sacked in October 2022, Collins took the first-team alongside Steve Davis while the club appointed a successor.

If Collins is to take the team against Chelsea, along with U18s manager Richard Walker, then Mane will surely have a great chance of making the squad, since Collins knows his qualities well.

It was during that period when Wolves were managerless that Hugo Bueno was given a first chance in the first-team, and he ended up being a shining light for Wolves that season.

What James Collins has said about Mateus Mane

Mane has not made a Premier League squad for Wolves yet this season, but that could change this weekend if Collins has to take the team.

There’s surely a reasonable chance he picks him, because only last month Collins raved about Mane.

He said (via E&S): “He’s top class. The best thing about him as far as I’m concerned, is not the impressive stuff, it’s the defending he does, the work he was doing for the team today, because we were jumping onto the pivot from our midfield which meant he had to come around and mark the midfield player when the ball was on the other side and he did it diligently, time after time.

“I thought his off the ball work tonight was magnificent, and that will hold him in good stead. And then his footballing ability; he can handle the ball, he can handle contact, and then he’s got that bit of class as well.

“For his age, he’s a super prospect, and that work he does off the ball for the team makes him even better.”

Wolves have lacked in the final third all season, and it would be fantastic to see Mane finally unleashed against Chelsea. Or at least given a spot on the bench, which many fans feel is long overdue.