Manchester City & Barcelona paired in youth NextGen series as groups for Liverpool, Tottenham & Aston Villa are announced

Ajax are the final club to be given a place in a new European tournament that will include future stars from many of the biggest clubs on the continent.

The NextGen Series’ inaugural year will boast an elite selection of some of the biggest sides in the world, including Barcelona, Inter and PSV.

Four English teams – Aston Villa, Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham – will be competing against the best youngsters around, with plans to introduce teams like Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea in years to come.

The under-19 tournament’s creator, Mark Warburton, was delighted the four-time European champions decided to become the 16th and final addition to this year’s competition.

“It is fantastic news that Ajax have signed up to the tournament,” he said.

“They are renowned for having one of the best youth academies in the world, producing the likes of Johan Cruyff, Clarence Seedorf and Dennis Bergkamp.”

Alongside the news that Ajax will be in the tournament was the drawing of the four groups of four.

There are mouth-watering ties in each, with the pairing of Manchester City and Barcelona standing out in particular.

The top two from each group will progress into the knock-out phase to be held in January 2012, possibly in Abu Dhabi.

The full list of group stage fixtures are printed below.