Wolves lost against Sunderland at the weekend, and one youngster was surely left scratching his head.
Wolves remain firmly rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table on two points, and fans are now extremely concerned.
This was a game Wolves could have done with winning.
A newly promoted side offered an opportunity for three points, or at the very least one.
But Wolves fell way short at the Stadium of Light, and were made to pay for starting the game in embarrassing fashion.
Wolves saw more of the ball in the game but couldn’t create enough good chances to truly threaten Sunderland, who then killed the game off in injury-time by forcing an own goal from Ladislav Krejci.
Fans have again questioned some of the selection decisions Pereira made, and a few were left baffled by the manager once again overlooking Mateus Mane.
What must Mateus Mane be thinking after latest Vitor Pereira snub
Pereira had said in his press conference ahead of the game that both Hwang Hee-chan and Jean-Ricner Bellegarde were doubts.
Hwang had picked up a calf issue, while Bellegarde was struggling with illness.
In the end, neither player was fit enough to make the bench for the game with Sunderland.
And one man who might have hoped that would mean an opening is Mateus Mane, who has been shining with the U21s.
But despite Hwang and Bellegarde both being absent on Saturday, there was still no place in the squad for teenager Mane. Instead, Pereira opted to name six defenders on his bench; Ki-Jana Hoever, David Moller Wolfe, Emmanuel Agbadou, Toti Gomes, Yerson Mosquera and Jackson Tchatchoua.
The only attacking players named on the bench were Fer Lopez, and Tolu Arokodare, with goalkeeper Jose Sa taking up another spot.
Loan move looking more and more likely for Mane
Journalist Liam Keen did warn that Mane isn’t that close to first-team minutes for Wolves at the moment.
But given the fact Hwang and Bellegarde were unavailable on Saturday, one might have thought there would have at least been room on the bench for Mane.
But clearly Pereira doesn’t see the talented youngster as an option right now, despite his electric form with the U21s.
| Mateus Manne for the Wolves U21s this season |
| Appearances – 9 |
| Minutes played – 764 |
| Goals – 4 |
| Assists – 4 |
And that will surely be frustrating for Mane, after Pereira had branded him ‘special’ last season and said he’d be a part of the first time in 2025/26.
Mane trains with the first-team and is ready for his chance, but minutes have been impossible to come by so far, and it is already starting to feel as though a January loan exit could be on the cards.
And if that is to be the case, then he must make the most of the move he gets.