You would think Michael Mancienne is not short on midfield mentors at Chelsea.

Having been there since he was eight-years-old, the on-loan Stamford Bridge man has seen such luminaries as Didier Deschamps, Claude Makelele and Michael Essien play the holding role with distinction.

At 22, Mancienne is in the early throes of learning the position after several years as a centre-back.

Blackburn was the venue for one of Mancienne’s less memorable performances at the back last September as Rovers, and in particular former Albion and Molineux man Jason Roberts, bullied Wolves.

Now Mancienne’s talents as an excellent reader of the game have been put to better use in midfield and the early signs look good.

And, as he prepares for what he hopes will be a Wolves victory over Blackburn tomorrow to clinch Premier League safety, he reckons he could not have a better role model than captain Karl Henry.

Henry completes a three-match ban tomorrow but Mancienne revealed he has learned lots from the ball-winning Molineux skipper, who is five years his senior.

“He’s made a career of playing the role I’m trying to play now and he’s very good at what he does,” said Mancienne.

“I watch him because what he does is what I want to do as well. I want to hustle and bustle and win the ball back. He’s a great example of how a holding midfielder should operate. He works really hard and breaks up play.

“He really gets around the pitch as well, he’s got a great engine and he never stops running.”

Mancienne believes Henry is a leader on and off the pitch.

“He’s our captain and I think he’s been magnificent for us,” he said.

“He’s a good leader in central midfield and it will be a massive boost to have him back. He hustles and bustles and he’s a good ballwinner but he’s good on the ball as well. He sets moves going for us.”

With Mancienne holding things together in front of the back four, Wolves have kept back-to-back clean sheets in Henry’s absence in the draws against Stoke and Fulham.

Although the players recognise the need to score more, Mancienne emphasised the importance of keeping the back door shut.

“Every point is vital for us and to be able to keep a clean sheet and stay in the game is massive for us,” he said. “I think the boys ground it out really well last week.”

Mancienne is relishing his new role and believes it suits him.

“I’m still learning the position but I’m enjoying playing there and I feel I’m getting to know more about it in every game I play,” he said.

“I feel the role suits me because of the way I like to play. I do like to get on the ball and make interceptions.

“I enjoy reading the game and I feel that is one of my qualities and, in that position, that’s something you have to do quite a lot.

“You have to read danger and know where the ball is going to be before it comes your way because it can cost the team.”

Mancienne believes Wolves’ work ethic means they are solid throughout the team.

“I know I’ve got Jody Craddock and Christophe Berra behind me and they’ve been solid for us for most of the season together,” he said.

“In front of me I’ve got David Jones and Dave Edwards and, until recently, Karl and Adlene Guedioura. All of those players are solid and we all work hard for each other.

“So I’m confident with the players I’ve got around me.”

Mancienne feels he is in a ‘no-lose’ situation towards fulfilling his long- term aim of forcing his way into Chelsea’s team. “I haven’t had any feedback from Chelsea yet but playing in this position gives me more of an opportunity to hopefully break into their team at some point because it means I can play more than one position,” he said.

“I’m not just stuck to one position. I came on in the Champions League against Juventus as a holding midfielder and it’s something I did a few times when Guus Hiddink was there.”

The last time Blackburn played Wolves, McCarthy’s side produced one of their worst performances of the season in a 3-1 defeat in September.

But the England Under-21 international puts it down to experience and insists Wolves will be a different proposition tomorrow.

“It was a difficult game and a bad day at the office,” he said. “But we’ve come a long way since then. We’ve matured as a team, we understand how to play in this division and we’re playing better than before.

“We’re more solid now so I’m pretty sure we’ll carry on doing what we’ve been doing so I think it will be a lot different this time.”
Mancienne pledged Wolves will not relax until they are safe and he does not expect their final three opponents – Rovers, Portsmouth and Sunderland – to take them lightly, despite having little to play for.

“I don’t think they will take their foot off the pedal. They’re going to be going into the games wanting to beat us as much as we want to beat them,” he said. “We can’t take our foot off the gas.”

By Tim Nash