Mateus Mane drops bold Wolves claim - West Ham & Swansea won’t agree | OneFootball

The highly-rated forward has talked up the Old Gold's chances of a first-time promotion

Wolves' highly-rated forward, Mateus Mane, has been speaking about the club's chances of achieving a first-time promotion back to the Premier League under the management of Cesar Peixoto.

The Old Gold and Black have responded well to their dire relegation campaign from the Premier League, as they are currently positioned amongst the early-season play-off places at the time of the extended international break.

There was plenty of uncertainty swirling around Molineux ahead of the current season though, especially given the fact Peixoto had no prior experience of managing outside his native Portugal.

The West Midlands side then made 10 additions to the newly-appointed head coach's squad throughout the summer window, whilst only Joao Gomes, who made the switch to local rivals Aston Villa, was seen as a high-profile departure.

As such, it was no great surprise when Wanderers began the season as one of the division's favourites for automatic promotion alongside the likes of West Ham United and last season's play-off finalists, Middlesbrough.

Mateus Mane drops bold claim on Wolves' chances of Championship glory

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In recent times, Mane has become one of the most high-profile prospects in English football, having burst onto the first-team scene initially under Vitor Pereira, before being handed several starting opportunities by former head coach, Rob Edwards.

The Portuguese Under-21 international has since become a mainstay within Peixoto's exciting and fluid attack, although he is yet to register a goal contribution in the Championship.

That said, only three sides in the division have scored more than Wolves' 15 from just seven games, and it is clear that the experienced figures within the squad have had a strong impact on Mane's beliefs for the remainder of the season.

“I’m excited for a new challenge. I love new challenges, and I feel like this season is going to be a really big season for us Wolves players and the Wolves fans," he told the club's official website.

“Kieran Trippier, Tommy Doyle and Armstrong have all told me what it’s like to play in the Championship. They said that it’s going to be a tough season, it’s a tough league to play in, but I feel like if we just play as a team, stick together, fight for the badge and everything, we should smash the league," Mane stated.

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The season, naturally, is not decided in September, but there will certainly be a disagreement from supporters of West Ham and Swansea City that Wolves have the ability to 'smash' the Championship, even if the strength of their squad, on paper, is of a higher standard to that of many divisional rivals.

The Hammers, arguably, have the most fearsome attack in the league thus far, scoring 22 goals in eight encounters, but, like Wolves, there are defensive flaws which must be ironed out if Nuno Espírito Santo is to replicate his Molineux success at the London Stadium.

Swansea have been the division's surprise package and most efficient outfit so far this season, though, with Vitor Matos' side sharing the goals around and building their early-season form on solid defensive foundations, all whilst last year's Golden Boot winner, Zan Vipotnik, has started just twice.

Mateus Mane could have a big role to play if Wolves achieve promotion

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After scoring three goals in 27 Premier League appearances last season, it was no real surprise that Mane's immediate future at such a young age became a strong talking point in the summer.

But it was recently reported that the winger, and his representatives, felt a season of regular Championship football would best serve his long-term career after interest from Manchester United and Liverpool.

Mane has been a live wire on the left-wing alongside the duo of Rodrigo Gomes and Fer Lopez behind either Armstrong or Raul Jimenez so far this season, and he could still have a huge role to play if his claim comes to fruition after 46 games.