Manchester United face Class of 92 reunion as they discover EFL Trophy opponents

Manchester United will face Bolton, Salford and Stockport in the group stage of the EFL Trophy. United's U21 side will play all three of their matches away from home, as per competition rules.

The EFL Trophy provides United's youngsters with valuable match experience against Football League clubs and is often the first taste of competitive football for many academy hopefuls.

The initial draw for the tournament was completed earlier in the week before the invited Under-21 teams were drawn on Thursday morning.

The EFL Trophy is a knockout competition for clubs playing in League One and League Two, and since the 2016/17 season, it has featured academy teams from Premier League Category One clubs.

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The teams are split into 16 regional groups of four teams to ensure travel time is minimised and recovery time maximised for players. The top two will progress to the knockout stages, with the final staged at Wembley Stadium.

United reached the last 16 of the tournament last season, where they were swept aside 4-0 by eventual winners Bolton.

The U21s have never managed to get to the quarterfinals of the competition, having also previously lost against Accrington Stanley and Tranmere Rovers in the first knockout round.