The Reds' youngsters kicked off the campaign with an impressive 6-0 win at Salford City in the EFL Trophy last week before a side featuring five changes faced the opening Premier League 2 fixture against Leicester City on Monday evening. There was a valuable lesson learned against strong, more experienced opponents as the Foxes scored twice in the second half to win 2-0.
Unfortunately, the Under-18s' opener with Liverpool was postponed but Neil Ryan's side begin the term with a home game against Blackburn Rovers on Saturday (11:00 BST kick-off, live on MUTV).
The weekend friendly with Aston Villa provided opportunities for Teden Mengi, Ethan Galbraith and Anthony Elanga to obtain some first-team action and Ole's commitment to investing faith in youth mirrors the ethos of the club.