Mercedes Benz Junior Cup champions Manchester United struggled in the first day of proceedings in Germany.
Having improved on 2014's third place finish by emerging victorious in 2015, Paul McGuiness' side had high expectations as they returned to the competition for the fourth time.
United lose 3 games out of 4 in Germany
Yet they started poorly. Angel Gomes, the youngest player at the tournament by 18 months at age 15, scored against Hoffenheim in the opening game but two goals from Johannes Bender saw United defeated in the group stages. They then shared points with Club Brugge in the second game. Callum Gribbin scored United's only goal after nicking the ball off the goalkeeper in the 5-a-side tournament.
The Reds finished bottom of the pile in Group B, ending the group stages without a win. Schalke 04 put four past them with three in return in a 7-goal thriller. It was 2-1 with just two minutes remaining but finished 4-3, with goals from Callum Whelan, Kanye Diedrik-Roberts and Joshua Doughty.
Angel Gomes scored 2 in 4 games
Angel Gomes, who has become widely known across social media for his talent, scored another as United were thrashed by Rapid Vienna in the round following the group stages. Down by three goals to nil at the break, United responded with goals from Gomes and Gribbin too. Yet they let in another three to see semi-final hopes go down the drain, Julian Kussler scored four for Rapid Vienna.
They now face Stuttgart to decide who will play in the seventh-place play-off and who will play in the fifth-place play-off.
The Mercedes-Benz Junior Cup is a under-19 football tournament with five players on the pitch from each side at a time. Games last twenty minutes with two halves. You can watch every game here on the Mercedes-Benz Junior Cup Official website.