United's first EFL Trophy game confirmed
Manchester United will begin the 2020/21 EFL Trophy campaign with a trip to Salford City on Wednesday 9 September, with kickoff set for 19:45 BST at the Peninsula Stadium.
The Reds entered an Under-21 side in the competition for the first time last year and won the group, before being beaten 3-2 by Tranmere Rovers in the knock-out stages in December, when Tahith Chong scored both goals.
It proved a thoroughly enjoyable exercise for lead coach Neil Wood, the staff and players, as it provides an excellent test for the youngsters.
The 2020/21 draw was made on Talksport 2 in August, with the Reds the last Premier League club out of the hat, joining Group B.
As well as Salford who are, of course, strongly associated with members of the 'Class of '92', Wood's side will also be up against Morecambe and Rochdale.
All three of our games will be played away from home, with dates and times for our second and third fixtures still to be confirmed. At present, no supporters are allowed in stadiums.
"I think the EFL Trophy was excellent last year," said Wood when the draw was made. "A real highlight of the season.
“When I look back, the memory that sticks in my mind is the Rotherham game. I can remember the first goal as Brandon [Williams] plays in Ethan [Laird], and he scores the first goal and just all the fans cheering and the lads celebrating.
“I look back at the video and we played some really good football that night. I think we dominated the game, to be honest, and had chances where we didn't even score but they were great bits of play.
“As the season goes on, you see Rotherham in second spot in the league and start to think our group of players gave a good account of themselves, came out on top and played really well. It's a real good memory."
EFL TROPHY NORTHERN GROUPS
GROUP A: Carlisle United, Fleetwood Town, Sunderland, Aston Villa.
GROUP B: Morecambe, Rochdale, Salford City, UNITED.
GROUP C: Bolton Wanderers, Crewe Alexandra, Shrewsbury Town, Newcastle United.
GROUP D: Port Vale, Tranmere Rovers, Wigan Athletic, Liverpool.
GROUP E: Mansfield Town, Lincoln City, Scunthorpe United, Manchester City.
GROUP F: Bradford City, Doncaster Rovers, Oldham Athletic, Wolves.
GROUP G: Accrington Stanley, Barrow, Blackpool, Leeds United.
GROUP H: Grimsby Town, Harrogate Town, Hull City, Leicester City.
Get behind the team as the Reds go marching on! Our new adidas home kit for 2020/21 is on sale now.