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Manchester United and Liverpool to enter U21 sides in Checkatrade Trophy from 2019/20 season

Manchester United's head of academy Nicky Butt
Image: Nicky Butt is Manchester United's head of academy

Manchester United and Liverpool will field their U21 sides in the Checkatrade Trophy for the first time in the 2019/20 season.

The clubs have previously refrained from taking part in the competition, but the EFL has announced the Premier League's top six will now be fully represented.

United and Liverpool's U21 sides are the latest category one academy teams to take part, forming part of the 16 invited teams that will join the 48 League One and League Two clubs in the competition.

Involvement in the Checkatrade Trophy will help United fill the void left by their absence from the UEFA Youth League, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side's failure to reach the Champions League meaning they missed out.

Nicky Butt, the club's head of academy, said: "We are looking forward to being involved in the EFL Trophy next season.

"The competition provides a range of experiences that will act as the ideal platform for the development of our home-grown talent.

"We are always looking to be innovative in order to find the best development path for our young players; the opportunity to face senior opponents will benefit them greatly."

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Portsmouth won this year's Checkatrade Trophy thanks to a 5-4 penalty shoot-out victory over Sunderland, with the game ending 2-2 after extra-time.

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