United's U16s win Football for Freedom trophy

Sideshow Bob

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Success for Manchester United Under-16s - Official Manchester United Website

Manchester United's schoolboys enjoyed a fine spell of tournament action with the Under-16s winning the 2016 Football for Freedom trophy.

The Premier League international event in Liverpool included 12 of the best Academies from home and abroad, with an educational visit to the International Slavery Museum organised for Saturday night.

A 1-1 draw with West Brom opened United's group-stage fixtures before a 4-1 defeat of German side Borussia Dortmund. A 1-0 victory over Everton clinched qualification to the semi-finals where Anderlecht provided tough opposition considering the fact they topped a group containing Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester City.

The Reds won 2-1 against the Belgian team to set up a final clash with Fulham, who were aiming to lift the trophy for a third successive year, and triumphed 5-4 on penalties after a 0-0 draw.

Under-16s coach Neil Ryan told ManUtd.com: "We are really pleased with the group - it's a fantastic achievement for them. The competition involved some of the elite sides from both Europe and England.

"Winning was important to us but, more importantly, the experience of tournament football is a fundamental part of our players' development - win or lose."

Meanwhile, United also competed in the Settembre Rostese 8th Trophy in Turin, for players born in 2004, and finished runners-up.

"We have developed our tours and tournaments programme for the remainder of the season," Head of Academy Nicky Butt told ManUtd.com. "We are passionate about our players experiencing all of the benefits that come with tournament football such as elite opposition, different styles of football, penalty shoot-outs and a competitive environment.

"It's all part of developing our players to be able to cope with the demands of first-team football."

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