An U19 European club competition is to provide experience for future Champions League stars.
16 teams sign up for NextGen series
A new Under 19s European club competition will provide ideal experience for the Champions League stars of the future, according to Manchester City's academy chief Mark Allen.
Plans are in place for a 16-team competition - the NextGen Series - involving teams from all the major nations on the continent. City, Liverpool, Tottenham and Aston Villa will be England's representatives when the event debuts in September, Celtic are Scotland's sole team while Barcelona, Inter Milan and Sporting Lisbon are also involved.
Other teams are set to join in subsequent seasons and Allen believes the tournament will help raise standards among younger players.
"The average age for a Premier League debut is becoming older, 21 or 22 when before it might have been 17 or 18," he said.
"You have to bridge that gap and prepare them for a better standard of football.
"We'll be competing against the best in Europe, a la the Champions League format, and we see it as an important chapter in the development of Manchester City.
"It's the next stepping stone, so as they come through the academy system there is the platform for them to be playing football at a level that is commensurate with their development.
"It will prepare them for those balmy nights we'll hopefully have in the Champions League as the club moves forward.
"We want to prepare them for what they will encounter as fully-fledged professionals.
"Who knows, we might be seeing the new Lionel Messi on a Thursday night at Hyde."
No reserves
City have decided to opt out of next year's Barclays Premier Reserve League as they plan to field a mix of elite development squad (reserves) players and academy prospects as clubs are allowed to include three under-20 players in each predominantly under-19 tie.
They will continue to play in both the Manchester and Lancashire Senior Cups and "prestige" friendlies.
"We found it (the reserve league) just a little bit too rigid in terms of fixtures," Allen told mcfc.co.uk.
"This will allow us the scope for a flexible games programme.
"We can also take advantage of playing games further afield as we engage more with some of the clubs we have close relations with in Europe and across the UK."
The new tournament will not, however, impact on the Barclays Premier Academy League.
"It is an individual choice to play in the reserve league but all teams play in the academy league," a Premier League spokesman confirmed.
"The NextGen fixtures have to be completed over and above the Premier League Academy season."
