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'I've got to be ready' - Wolves star set for tough Championship test Wolves star Mateus Mane is ready for the Championship. Mateus Mane insists he is ready for the physical test as he prepares to help Wolves mount a Championship promotion push. The teenager is set for a starring role in Cesar Peixoto’s team and he had an impressive start to pre-season, before a quieter finish in the remaining friendlies. It is understood that Mane has put on around two to three kilograms of muscle since first breaking into the team, as he adapts to men’s football, and the 18-year-old says he is ready for the rigours of the second tier. “It's been very difficult coming up as a young player,” Mane said. “I didn't really know much about playing against older men but I feel like now I'm used to it and I know when to go one-v-one, release the ball when I have to. “It's just my decision-making, it's helped me a lot in my game now and this season I'm just ready to show the fans and everyone what I can do with it. “Last season I was getting there and during the off-season, that's what I worked on the most, putting muscle on. “The Championship is a very difficult, a physical league, so I feel like I've got to be ready for it. “It's working and I'm trying to put more muscle on to get stronger.” Wolves had a solid pre-season with six friendlies, as Peixoto worked on his clear vision and team identity. Mane says he has enjoyed preparing for the season and is ready to take it into the 2026/27 campaign. “It’s been a very tough pre-season, probably one of the toughest pre-seasons I've been in,” Mane added. “I feel like the manager’s helped us a lot and we're trying to help them as well, either on the pitch or off it, so it's been enjoyable. “I feel like every day we work in the training pitch, outside the training pitch, we have meetings and everything. “I feel like his message is really coming across good and everyone's understanding. We're looking forward to taking it into the season.”