Exclusive: Former Wolves striker warns Mateus Mane off Liverpool move; “he’s not ready” | OneFootball

Wolves forward Mateus Mane has been advised to resist any temptation to join Liverpool and remain with his current club for the foreseeable future.

The 18-year-old was a breakout star for the Old Gold last season as they were relegated from the Premier League, with his form attracting rumoured interest from the Reds (along with Arsenal and Manchester United) in the early weeks of 2026.

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The links over a potential move to Anfield haven’t been as prevalent at the start of the summer transfer window, although several clubs around England and Europe are reportedly interested in the teenager, who’s valued at £30m (Express & Star).

Goodman: Mane is ‘not ready for Liverpool’

Speaking exclusively to Empire of the Kop (via sports betting site talkSPORT Bet), Don Goodman believes that it’d be in Mane’s best interests to remain at Molineux rather than making the move to Liverpool this year.

The former Wolves striker said: “Mateus Mané has only started 19 league games. He’s not ready for Liverpool just yet. He has undoubted talent and plays with a fearlessness that is great to watch, but he’s still very raw and even naive at times.

“For me, he would be best served staying at Wolves, playing week in, week out in a side you’d expect to be winning plenty of football matches. It’s a team he can star in and get loads of minutes under his belt, where you’d expect him to excel in the Championship and build on that vital first-team experience.

“If he went to Liverpool, I don’t think he’d get those minutes. Liverpool already have their own young talent, don’t they, in Rio Ngumoha? He’s actually even younger than Mané, so he would find himself down the pecking order to someone who is younger than him, I would think.

“I don’t think it would be a wise move right now. Of course, it’s a dream. Liverpool is an incredible club, one of the biggest in the world, and anyone would have their head turned if that option was on the table; but purely from a footballing perspective and for his own development, staying put is the best choice.”

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Liverpool unlikely to move for Mane this summer

Mane put in some terrific performances for Wolves last season, and the possibility of an exit this summer seems high, but we can understand Goodman’s pleas for him not to join Liverpool just yet.

The 18-year-old (who made 30 appearances in 2025/26) plays primarily as an attacking midfielder and can also line out on the left wing, where the Reds have Florian Wirtz and Ngumoha respectively, so he’d likely have to be patient for first-team opportunities behind that pair at Anfield.

The more likely scenario is that, whenever the Portuguese teenager does move on from Molineux, it’s to a club where he’d be a regular starter and which he could use as a stepping stone to an elite European name.

Liverpool may be keen to get in on Mane now while his asking price is still modest, rather than running the risk of paying a lot more for him in future years if his star continues to ascend on the big stage, with a potential view to loaning him out initially like they’ve done with Harvey Elliott in the past.

As it stands, we don’t envisage FSG making a move for the Wolves youngster this summer, but nor would we completely dismiss that possibility if circumstances were to change in the coming weeks and Anfield chiefs view it as a shrewd market opportunity.