Binnion: Everyone learns in the EFL Trophy

Since the 2016/17 campaign, teams from English football’s third and fourth tiers have been joined in the competition’s group stage by 16 invited youth sides from Premier League and Championship clubs with Category One Academies.

It offers the hugely beneficial opportunity for young players to play against a series of senior opponents, with Group F tests against Barnsley, Doncaster Rovers and Huddersfield Town on the schedule for United between now and November.

Ahead of the first of those at Oakwell on Tuesday (19:00 BST kick-off), Under-21s lead coach Travis Binnion has highlighted the EFL Trophy’s importance to development for young players here at United.

“Alongside the Youth Cup for the Under-18s, the EFL Trophy is our biggest regular competition,” Binnion began, speaking to club media at our Carrington training base on Monday afternoon.

“We feel like we find the most out about the players in that arena and they’re unique games, playing against senior opposition, the format of it, going away, it offers a lot. 

“The lads definitely look forward to it and we, as a staff, feel like we find the most out about the players in those sorts of games.”

Last season, the young Reds were drawn with Bolton, Salford City and Stockport County and were perhaps unlucky to only pick up two points from those matches, having led late on against both Salford and Stockport. 

While Tuesday's squad will not necessarily be the same as the one that competed in those fixtures, Binnion says there can be learning to take from that campaign for the players that are set to be involved in the tournament again this week, and over the coming months.

“Maybe a third or half the squad that were involved at Salford last year might play on Tuesday night,” our Under-21s lead coach added. “You’re hoping those lads have a better understanding of what’s coming and can help the others or at least show the others with their own performance the maturity that they’ve developed

“So, you’re definitely looking for that in the players, and then the lads that haven’t played it before, you’re looking for them to show their best and to be able to adapt to a different type of opposition, a different type of game, that’s what we’re looking for as a group of staff.”

Our Under-21s kicked off the Premier League 2 season on Friday night, and a 4-2 defeat to Arsenal means the young Reds will play with a point to prove at Oakwell, according to Binnion.

“Arsenal were really good and better than us on the night, so the lads are coming off the back of that knowing that they didn’t do themselves justice, so they’ll want to prove a point," he said.

“They’ll know that the game could look slightly different and I just want them to show to us as staff what they can do. When I say what they can do, I mean let’s take the opportunities Barnsley give us and nullify them off what we’ve seen. 

“That’s how we’ll judge the game, if you do those two things well, the game tends to look how you want it to look and it should give us a platform to perform well in it.”

Tickets for Tuesday's match at Barnsley are available here, while supporters in the UK will also be able to watch the fixture live on Sky Sports+.