African telecommunications company Globacom has signed a five-year deal with Manchester United.

The agreement will see young players from Nigeria, Ghana and Benin offered the chance to train with the reigning Premier League champions in England.

"At Globacom, we have consistently played a leading role in identifying opportunities and providing platforms for positive transformation of youths through football," Globacom's group executive director, Paddy Adenuga, told the Nigerian newspaper Thisday.

"This new partnership with the world's most famous football club will no doubt give impetus to the quest by kids in Nigeria, Ghana and Benin Republic to become world stars."