EFL Trophy: Holders Bolton draw Manchester United Under-21s, Salford & Stockport

Bolton Wanderers beat Plymouth Argyle 4-0 in this year’s EFL Trophy final at Wembley

EFL Trophy holders Bolton Wanderers have an all-Greater Manchester group in next season’s competition.

Newly promoted Wrexham will face Crewe, Port Vale and Newcastle United Under-21s in their group.

Notts County face near neighbours Derby County as well as Lincoln City and Wolverhampton Wanderers Under-21s.

Dates for the group games are yet to be confirmed.

Championship fixtures: Sheffield Wednesday and Southampton open EFL seasonLeague One fixtures: Reading v Peterborough & Derby v Wigan on opening dayLeague Two fixtures: Hollywood-owned Wrexham start against MK Dons on opening weekend

Reading will take on Exeter City, Swindon Town and Arsenal Under-21s as they play in the competition for the first time since 2001-02, following their relegation from the Championship last season.

Leicester City Under-21s, the only non-Premier League side invited to field a youth side, will take on Fleetwood Town, Tranmere Rovers and Wigan Athletic.

The top two teams from each group will qualify for the knockout stages of the competition, which takes place on a regional basis until the quarter-final stage.

The draw for the 2023-24 Carabao Cup will take place at 14:30 BST on Thursday.

Northern Groups

Group A: Barrow, Blackpool, Morecambe, Liverpool U21.

Group B: Crewe Alexandra, Port Vale, Wrexham, Newcastle United U21.

Group C: Accrington Stanley, Carlisle United, Harrogate Town, Nottingham Forest U21.

Group D: Fleetwood Town, Tranmere Rovers, Wigan Athletic, Leicester City U21.

Group E: Bolton Wanderers, Salford City, Stockport County, Manchester United U21.

Group F: Barnsley, Bradford City, Grimsby Town, Manchester City U21.

Group G: Derby County, Lincoln City, Notts County, Wolverhampton Wanderers U21.

Group H: Burton Albion, Doncaster Rovers, Mansfield Town, Everton U21.

Southern groups

Group A: Forest Green Rovers, Shrewsbury Town, Walsall, Brighton & Hove Albion U21.

Group B: Charlton Athletic, Crawley Town, Sutton United, Aston Villa U21.

Group C: AFC Wimbledon, Stevenage, Wycombe Wanderers, Crystal Palace U21.

Group D: Cambridge United, Colchester United, Peterborough United, Tottenham Hotspur U21.

Group E: Gillingham, Leyton Orient, Portsmouth, Fulham U21.

Group F: Milton Keynes Dons, Northampton Town, Oxford United, Chelsea U21.

Group G: Exeter City, Reading, Swindon Town, Arsenal U21.

Group H: Bristol Rovers, Cheltenham Town, Newport County, West Ham United U21.

Our coverage of your Premier League club is bigger and better than ever before – follow your team and sign up for notifications in the BBC Sport app to make sure you never miss a moment