Groups revealed for Manchester United’s return to SuperCupNI | OneFootball

Manchester United are returning to the illustrious SuperCupNI this summer and their group stage opponents have now been revealed.

United will take on County Fermanagh, Skouted FC, and Intercontinental FA in their group.

It will be a team of u16s taking part in the red of United this year after the club took part in the u18s section last summer.

But the removal of the u18s section in this year’s edition sees United return to challenge at the u16s level, having won the competition the last time they competed in 2022.

The victorious United squad in 2022 included a number of this year’s league and cup double winning u18s, including James Scanlon, Jayce Fitzgerald, and captain Finley McAllister.

Formerly known as the Milk Cup, the tournament will see United take on a variety of different teams from different countries and has been utilised by the club as a pre-season tournament for the academy since its inception in the 1980s.

Amongst their opponents, an interesting name jumps out in that of Skouted FC, a new academy founded in 2019 by former Manchester United academy graduate Febian Brandy.

The project involves a football development centre for youth players as well as a digital football app that allows footballers to upload their video footage in order to get scouted by professional football clubs.

Brandy says the concept behind the idea is “to be the link between grassroots and professional football, trying to bring them all together.”

United’s other opponents include a Northern Ireland county select side from Fermanagh, who always offer a tough physical battle, and Intercontinental FA from New England, USA who compete in MLS Next, an emerging hotbed of talent that United have experienced first hand at the Generation Adidas Cup.

The other groups also contain a fascinating mix of opponents that United could compete against in the knockout stages including a Japanese high school, a Barcelona satellite academy from Dubai, Rangers, and Toluca CF from Liga MX.

The tournament will kick off on July 21st and will likely be available to stream as it has in the past, although it has not yet been confirmed for this year.

A launchpad for many United stars in the past such as David Beckham, Marcus Rashford, and Kobbie Mainoo, the tournament is always a great chance for fans to get their first glimpse of United’s next academy star.

Want to be the first to hear breaking Man United news? For carefully selected, crucial updates, join our WhatsApp channel: https://bit.ly/United-Breaking-News.