Copes as the male gets older (7)

I believe the answer is:

manages

'copes' is the definition.
(I know this)

'the male gets older' is the wordplay.
'the male' becomes 'man' (man is a kind of male).
'gets older' becomes 'ages' ('age' can be a synonym of 'get older').
'man'+'ages'='MANAGES'

'as' acts as a link.

I've seen this clue in The Irish Independent.

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