Mateus Mane enjoyed his first match under Cesar Peixoto, whose playing style will suit him, he believes.
The Old Gold drew 0-0 with Portuguese top tier side Estoril on Saturday evening, with Mane playing an hour, predominantly on the left and cutting inside on his right foot.
He was a key part of the pressing approach the head coach was looking to utilise, and Mane’s endeavour and quality almost unlocked the Estoril defence on a number of occasions, which is a sign of things to come he hopes.
On a first pre-season run out
“I loved it, the first game of pre-season. The boys played well and it helps us with our fitness a bit more. I feel like everyone did well, played their part and the role, so it was good.
“Training was tough, and I feel like that helped us coming into the game, with our fitness, our running, with our how much running we did during training, and we were ready for the game. I feel like the boys are doing well.”
"Cesar wants us to press high, be aggressive and is very demanding."
— Wolves (@Wolves) July 19, 2026
Mateus Mane speaks after our first pre-season run out 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/uWrZR7DGtC
On the pressing game
“It's definitely tough, but I feel that during training, how much we've been running, that definitely helped us. I feel like if we didn't run as much, it would have been a lot tougher, but the front line did really well and helped the defence not get attacked a lot.
“He wants us to press high, be aggressive, and it's very demanding. He has high standards, so it's really good, and that's how we want to go into the season, showing everyone how aggressive we are.
“It definitely suits my game. I'm a creative player and I feel like where I'm playing I can do that and express myself. Thank you to the manager for trusting me to play it.”
We played out a goalless draw against Estoril this afternoon in Cesar Peixoto's first game in charge. pic.twitter.com/P9rR9m9UR7
— Wolves (@Wolves) July 18, 2026
On reacting positively to the manager
“We’ve reacted well. Everyone's kept working hard, and now we go back to England and have a few more friendly games to get ready for the season to start.
“He’s just telling me to be confident, know when to go one versus one and know when to release it. He really puts trust in me, and that's good from a manager. It's good to be a proper established member of the squad, last season I wasn't as established, but this season I'm here and it feels good.”
