Mateus Mane believes Wolves have nothing to lose in their remaining Premier League outings this season and showed against Arsenal on Wednesday that they will not give up in their fight against the drop.
Mane’s emergence on the first-team scene has been one of the standout moments of an otherwise disappointing season, and he was joined on the pitch by his Wolves under-21 teammate Tom Edozie in midweek, with the debutant netting late equaliser.
Ahead of Sunday’s visit to the capital to face Crystal Palace, the 18-year-old is determined for the team to continue showing the spirit and quality which have been on display in recent weeks to extend their unbeaten run.
On facing Crystal Palace this weekend
“It’ll be a tough game. It will be a tough stadium to go to, but I feel like we are very confident as a team.
“We know we can go there and get a few points. We’ve got to go there and show to the fans what we can do.”
On working hard under Edwards
“Every time I wake up, I’m just grateful. I just give thanks, wake up, get ready to come in and work hard for another day. I just try to improve every day to get better. But I am happy with how things are going on and how they keep coming.
“I’ve really enjoyed working under Rob. He tells me stuff and encourages me, gives me feedback, and when I do some that needs correcting, I just listen to him, because he’s got so much experience, he's played in the Premier League, so he knows what he’s saying. He’s not going to say it for no reason.”
Highlights from an eventful Molineux evening 🍿 pic.twitter.com/QkvPKGkdxe
— Wolves (@Wolves) February 19, 2026
On having strong family support
“I feel like my work ethic has come from my background. My parents have always worked hard to help us at home, and I feel like I’ve took that from them. But it's my job on the football pitch and the training field to work hard every day to try and prove myself and get the best out of me.
“They feel really happy for me. My mum’s happy, but she worries most about the injury side. When I go on the pitch, she’s scared that I’m going to get hurt or something, but my dad understands a bit more. He’s buzzing for me, but my whole family are really proud.”
On Edozie’s impact against Arsenal
“I’ve played with Tom a couple of times for the under-21s and a bit in the season before when I first came up from the under-18s, and he’s a really good player. He’s a player who I think can really go far and I hope he carries on and comes on more often because it’s really enjoyable to play with him. We have a good connection between the under-21 players, so it was an amazing moment.
“I think the academy is really strong here. There are loads of great players coming up, there’s a lot of young players playing up a year, so I feel like in the future, this academy will be really good.
“The opportunities the young players get here and what the staff give to the young players is really good. Having the chance to come down to train with the first team to try and show themselves, being on the bench and traveling with a team to see how it is and see how the environment is compared to the under-18s and 21s.
“I feel like it shows that the staff really care about the players and are always trying to give us opportunities. That’s shown with the likes of Tom and other players on bench, like Luke [Rawlings], Jerome [Abbey] and lots of other players as well.”
On having religion in his life
“It plays a big role in my life. God has helped me for my whole career, and without him I don’t think I’d be here right now. I pray every day and before every game, and I’m always thanking him for everything he’s doing in my life.
“Every game I go into, I’m giving thanks for the opportunity to step onto the pitch with no injuries and nothing impacting me and my whole family. Before games, we have a little prayer so I call my family, call my agent, and we just pray and hope that I can have a good game, so it’s a big part of my life.”
On fighting until the end
“I’m going to enjoy every moment. I’ve still got a long contract here, so I want to keep playing and enjoy myself. I’m always trying to do my best and everything I can to help us stay up. These few months here can be enjoyable months if we carry on working hard with the team, with the staff and with everyone.
“We’ve just got to keep believing in ourselves, working hard off the ball, on the ball, keep trying to create chances and not give up, like we could have done against Arsenal the other day. We could have just given up, but we kept going and showed desire to try and get another goal and another goal, and that’s what we’ve got to keep on doing.
“We’ve got to not be afraid because we’ve got nothing to lose now, we’ve just got to play our way and give it all.”
