A pilot scheme for the 2016/17 season will see 16 Premier League u21 teams take part in the EFL Trophy alongside 64 League One and League Two teams.

At this stage, it is just a one season trial as part of a host of proposed changes to the competition, formerly the Johnstone's Paint Trophy, which will also see a new group stage being introduced.

Understandably, there are critics aplenty of this new scheme, with people voicing long-held fears this will allow Premier League B Teams into the league structure via the back door.

On the other side of the coin, there are those desperate for this new strategy to aid the development of young players, with youngsters finding it increasingly difficult to make the breakthrough to senior football.

Huddersfield Town have found themselves staring this very conundrum straight in the face.

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And clearly they are far from the only club looking to address the trend of young players blossoming in their teens but failing to make the step up to the professional game with the club that has nurtured them through puberty.

Premier League stats revealed last November showed the scarcity of youth team graduates making senior appearances for the top clubs - at Manchester City, only Kelechi Iheanacho had made a league debut at that point.

But the fact that Swansea and Bournemouth had zero, while Stoke, West Brom and Sunderland had one, shows its far form a problem isolated to the elite.

Town should be applauded for their proactive approach.

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They won't benefit from this latest change, not being a Premier League side or a Category 1 Academy. They aren't part of the community calling for B sides to be entered into a Football League pyramid rich with history and supporter culture to help fix failings at a higher level.

Equally, they haven't gone down Brentford's route of throwing in the towel - shutting down their Academy and simply focusing on recruiting players at the age of 17.

Instead, they have looked at internal ways to improve the current set-up, recruiting a new academy manager Steve Weaver, with the aim of producing more youngsters who can make an impact at the John Smith's Stadium.

But the fact that every club across the country is experiencing similar issues demonstrates that it isn't that simple.

Quite honestly, the current u21 set-up fails to prepare players adequately for the rigours of the Championship - and in a lot of cases, for League One and League Two as well.

As a result, it's easy to see why Premier League clubs have mooted the idea of B teams, even if you don't agree with it. And don't worry, the vast majority do not.

Huddersfield Town Under 21 coach Frankie Bunn

Like all clubs, Town are working within a flawed system.

One of the major issues is the lack of match action alongside and against senior pros. In the old reserve teams, up and coming starlets would get a taste of those they would have to go up against.

A rugged, experienced defender returning from injury or on the fringes of the first team squad would give the likes of Jack Boyle a much sterner test than a 19-year-old still learning his craft. It seems obvious.

Equally, that same young striker would accelerate their education by playing alongside someone who has the ability to thread through a ball with the speed and vision needed at senior level.

As it is, there's a very real danger of players outgrowing u21s football by 19 but being wholly unprepared for a loan.

When Frankie Bunn's u21 side faced Sheffield United in the play-off final, the Blades included Che Adams, a forward who has already made the breakthrough to the first team.

He was indeed under 21, and far from crying "foul" it was ideal preparation for the club's youngsters to test their own readiness for the rough and tumble of league football.

More of that is essential if England as a whole is to create a wealth of young prospects able to challenge for first team places in the higher leagues.

Town's proactive approach to the problem is a positive start, but structural changes - that don't threaten the history or future of the Football League - are crucial in order to give the next generation the optimum chance of success.