Edwards has already secured his own Rio Ngumoha from Wolves’ £50m superstar
Wolverhampton Wanderers were knocked out of the FA Cup on Friday evening, while Liverpool avenged their defeat at the same venue in the Premier League earlier this week.
In the first half it was very similar. Cagey and adept at attacking at both ends, Liverpool’s quick-fire double after the break ensured Rob Edwards’ side could never get into the game.
There is the FA Cup. However, Wolves have regained a connection with their fans, wiped off the rust of the Old Gold and revived a sense of excitement against the precarious Premier League position they still find themselves in.
Wolves will go down, but with determination and new understanding, they can go down tooth and nail fighting, and they showed.
Which games of Wolves vs Liverpool told us
Even with back-to-back Premier League wins against Aston Villa and then Liverpool, the chances of Wolves pulling off the biggest points they’ve escaped are slim.
Edwards has conceded as much, though, with a good run of top-flight games to come, who knows? In any case, no one can deny that the performance has improved, and while Liverpool had the most of the evening, it was thanks to two cheaply conceded goals that the home side were sent packing.
Several players stepped up in the two sessions last week. Joao Gomes is a real threat in the middle of the park, and Tolu Arokodare continues to be more than a handful for his opponents. And it won’t be easy to keep it, if Wolves are pushed down the slide.
However, there is another Molineux talent whose signature will be even more difficult to secure next season, and while Liverpool’s Rio Ngumoha has won the FA Cup, this prospect has an equally exciting future.
Edwards has found himself the Champion of Wolves
Ngumoha, 17, is the talk of the town right now, but in Mateus Mane, Wolves may have a more exciting talent.
The 18-year-old broke into the Wolves first team. He played 19 times in the Premier League this season, scoring just two goals but gaining a lot of praise for his physical, athletic and technical talents.
None of his performances against Liverpool this week showed the strongest aspects of Mane’s ability, but there is no doubt that he has the potential to be a revelation, with pundit Paul Merson even asserting that he “could be a superstar”.
Ngumoha has fame to his name, but he is standing on rich turf at Anfield and is in a system that develops such talent.
Wolves, by contrast, have been struggling this season, and the youngster has been shining for the past few months. After all, Liverpool and Manchester United have both registered their interest in the £50m striker ahead of the summer transfer window.
England-born Mane, an England U18 international, is quick and ferocious and can’t stand up to this devastating wave of relegations, and while he still has a lot to prove, that’s why he should stay strong and continue to improve at Wolves.
|
Wolves – Young Premier League Top Scorers |
||
|---|---|---|
|
The player |
The opponent |
Age |
|
Mateus Mane |
West Ham |
18 years 3 months 18 days |
|
Fabio Silva |
Burnley |
18 years 5 months 2 days |
|
Rayan Ait-Nouri |
The Crystal Palace |
19 years 4 months 24 days |
|
Tom Edozie |
Arsenal |
19 years 9 months 0 days |
|
Pedro Neto |
Watford |
19 years 9 months 23 days |
While the Hawks have already started circling and are unlikely to disband if and when Wolves are relegated to the second tier, with the £50m asking price already changed, Mane would be better suited to boost his exciting potential under Edwards’ wing.
Liverpool already have a star on the move, but Mane has done nothing to show that he doesn’t have a similarly promising future, and can achieve his goals by staying in the Midlands.
Worse than Gomes: The Wolves flop who made 0 tackles must not start again
This Wolves flop that was worse than Angel Gomes against Liverpool should not be repeated.
