McManus believes that all those involved will benefit massively purely from playing in competitions such as the Premier League International Cup and the UEFA Youth League.

And he also praised his squad for their work rate and efforts in recent weeks as they look to continue their development as part of the B Team.

“There have been loads of lessons that you can take from games like last Friday evening,” he explained.

“That is the whole point of the games programme that we have taken this year. Again, it was similar to last season.

“The boys last year were a bit more advanced than what the group are this year, with regards to the age they are at.

'So the boys are going to benefit massively from these games. In competitions like the UEFA Youth League and Premier League International Cup.'

“Some of them have never experienced facing first-team players before, and sometimes you need to feel that for yourself as a young player to really know what it is like and what it takes to be a top player.

“But the boys have been terrific. They come in and work tremendously hard every single day. Games like Friday, they will feel a lot better once they have got these miles in the tank.”

Tomorrow afternoon’s match will mark the fourth competition that the young Hoops have taken part in so far this campaign.

After playing over 50 competitive fixtures in the last campaign, it is gearing up to be another busy year for the B Team.

Ultimately, having a vast amount of games, whilst taking on a mix of different opposition is an experience McManus believes is extremely helpful for the development of the current crop of youngsters.

The B Team coach said: “The most important thing for the boys at this stage is their development. We had it at the start of last season.

“So it’s really important that they learn from the challenges they are going to face.

“Friday night was a difficult game for the boys to then play in. Now we have got a different challenge again.

“It will be a lot more technical, probably be just as physically demanding and it will be mentally challenging when you come away from home.

'When you play away from home in Europe, there are different styles that you need to them face.'

“Tactically, the games can be slightly different from what they are used to, but it’s a game that the lads are really looking forward to.

“We are well prepared for it and they will really enjoy the occasion, irrespective of the way the game goes.”

Stephen McManus: UEFA Youth League provides the squad with another valuable challenge