Man Utd suffer defeat in behind-closed-doors friendly vs Nice as Sir Jim Ratcliffe takes advantage of Ineos link

MANCHESTER UNITED have taken advantage of their newfound link with French outfit Nice with a behind-closed doors friendly.

The Ligue 1 side are owned by Sir Jim Ratcliffe‘s Ineos group, who completed their 27.7 per cent purchase of the Red Devils in February.

GettyMan Utd have taken advantage of their Ineos group links with a trip to the south of France[/caption]

AlamyErik ten Hag will use the games to further analyse players in the Man Utd academy[/caption]

And it has now been revealed by the Daily Mail that Man Utd‘s Under-21 side headed across the English channel for a friendly with Nice‘s own U21’s.

The match was played out on Easter Monday, with the hosts running out 3-2 victors.

Man Utd’s team featured promising stars such as Gabriele Biancheri and Bendito Mantato.

It was the second game during the U21’s time in France.

Their first clash overseas came against Monaco, in which the Red Devils claimed victory.

Senior team boss Erik ten Hag has dipped into the academy to bolster the first team a number times, which this season has included the likes of Willy Kambwala, Omari Forson and Kobbie Mainoo.

Each team in Man Utd’s Professional Development Phase – U17s to U21s – took part in the trip and played equivalent fixtures.

No games had been arranged in Premier League 2 or the U18 Premier League over the weekend.

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Meanwhile, other ages groups took part in their own games and tournaments in countries such as Spain, Holland, Belgium and the USA.

Man Utd also announced the U14 side would be going to Poland for a Holocaust Education trip later this month, while another age group compete in Czechia in the Karlovy Cup.

Academy director Nick Cox said of the trips: “This is always an exciting time of the year for our young players as they get the chance to experience travelling to tournaments and fixtures together.

“Each trip has different aims depending on the age group involved.

“Whether it is for cultural education, experiencing playing teams outside of our domestic games programme or learning how to represent the club abroad, our players enjoy a huge amount of personal and professional development from these opportunities.

“Our Under-14s, for example, will be continuing their education on World War Two while our Professional Development Phase group are heading to the South of France for the chance to face elite European opposition.

“At every age group, I know that each and every player will have experiences that will stand them in great stead for successful lives in football or outside of the game.”