Academy Briefing: One week until Old Trafford!

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OLD TRAFFORD DATE APPROACHES

Excitement is building among the players and staff for a European night at the Theatre of Dreams, and up against a storied opposition with a shared commitment to youth.

"It's what you dream of as a kid, playing at the Theatre of Dreams," said Jack Fletcher. "I'm really excited and can't wait to play."

"It's a great opportunity," added Bendito Mantato.

"It'll be a great experience because for me and a lot of the boys, we haven't played there before, so it's great because it's where we want to end up. It'd be good if all the fans can come along and support."

Scroll down to hear more from the players and lead coach Travis Binnion.

U21s SPIRTED BUT DEFEATED AT BRACKLEY

A spirited second-half performance wasn't enough for the U21s to overcome a senior Brackley side who showed a ruthless streak to capitalise on mistakes and lead by two goals at the break. The young Reds played with real rhythm and confidence at times, but were faced with an in-form Brackley goalkeeper in Jonny Maxted, who pulled off several fine saves. You can watch highlights below.

United have three group-stage games remaining, against Rochdale (28 October), Solihull Moors (25 November) and Tamworth (16 December).

U18s FIND GRITTY WIN OVER BURNLEY

U18s assistant coach Colin Little described United’s 1-0 win over Burnley as a “good experience,” after the young Reds were forced to work for the full 90 minutes to probe at a well-organised deep defence.

“Burnley had that spirit and endeavour and denied us all the space at the top of the pitch,” Little said, “but we’re United, you’ve got to find a way. Lots of teams will come and sit behind the ball. Our players have to get used to that.”

The decisive goal came when Jim Thwaites converted from the penalty spot, after Gabriel — an U15 — had been fouled.

Darren Fletcher’s U18s side retain a 100% record so far this season. The next game is at Wolves on Saturday (11:30 BST) and will be shown live on MUTV.

FIXTURE CONFIRMATION

Our Vertu EFL Trophy group-stage game at Barnsley will be played on Tuesday 21 October (19:00 BST) at Oakwell Stadium. This fixture announcement follows confirmation that our National League Cup tie at Rochdale, originally scheduled for the same date, will now be played the following week, on 28 October.

TICKETS AVAILABLE FOR PL2 GAME AT SALFORD

Tickets are now available for our Premier League 2 fixture with Crystal Palace, which will be played at Salford City’s Peninsula Stadium on Saturday 27 September (14:00 BST). They can be purchased directly from the Salford ticket office, or online at salfordcitytickets.co.uk. Prices are £3 adults and £1 for concessions (Over-65s and Under-16s).

MUTV INFO AT A GLANCE

Saturday 20 September | Wolves v UNITED U18s | 11:30 | Live on MUTV

Sunday 21 September | Liverpool v UNITED U21s | 14:00 | Live on MUTV

Wednesday 24 September | UNITED U21s v Athletic Club | 19:00 | Live on MUTV

Saturday 27 September | UNITED U18s v Manchester City | 11:00 | Not live on MUTV (Clash with first-team fixture)

Saturday 27 September | UNITED U21s v Crystal Palace | 14:00 | Not live on MUTV (Clash with first-team fixture)

Tuesday 30 September | Lincoln City v UNITED U21s | 19:00 | Not live on MUTV (live on Sky Sports+)

Friday 3 October | Everton v UNITED U21s | 19:00 | Live on MUTV

Saturday 4 October | Middlesbrough v UNITED U18s | Not live on MUTV (Clash with first-team fixture)