EFL Trophy 'our best games' - Man Utd U21 coach

Manchester United Under-21 coach Travis Binnion says the EFL Trophy provides a great experience for Premier League academy players, even though only one club out of 16 has made it through to the last 32 of this season’s competition.

Defeats for United, Manchester City, Arsenal and Nottingham Forest in the final round of matches mean Aston Villa will be the only top-flight representatives in the knockout stages.

No Premier League academy side has reached the final of the tournament since academies were first allowed to enter in 2016-17, amid huge controversy. Chelsea came the closest in 2018 when they were beaten on penalties by Lincoln in the semi-final.

A single academy side reaching the last 32 is the lowest number there has been, but Binnion is adamant the concept is a significant positive in the development of young players.

"They are our best games," he said. "We have come up short, but that is the whole point. If we came into these games and won them easily, something wouldn't be quite right."

With no weekend game looming, due to international call-ups, Huddersfield Town manager Michael Duff opted to play his strongest available side against Manchester United. The Terriers eventually ran out 4-1 winners to move to the next stage of the competition.

The Under-21s are still involved in the new National League Cup – a similar competition to the EFL Trophy but featuring clubs from the National League – and the Premier League 2 International Cup, which includes Benfica, Sporting, Hertha Berlin and Ajax.

Binnion feels this is the best way of creating a programme of meaningful games in the absence of genuine B teams being allowed to compete within the EFL structure, as happens in other European countries.

"When you don't have the B team system that they have on the continent, we are desperate for these games," he said.

"Our International Cup games against Hertha and PSV felt like the EFL Trophy games. We play Altrincham next week, then Rochdale in the National League Cup, then Sparta Prague at the start of December - so, by this side of Christmas, we will have had nine games that are very different to the Under-21 programme.

"We want those games and the lads will get plenty out of them."