Erik ten Hag's line-up to face Omonia Nicosia was always going to include a surprise element to it, whether that was through senior stars being involved or forgotten faces getting a rare runout.
In the end, it was the former. Manchester United went just about as strong as is possible for a Europa League group stage game, with heavy-hitters featuring from the start and others selected on the bench.
It seems that until their place in the knockout round is secured, Ten Hag won't be giving peripheral figures and the youngsters a chance. Even then, he might go full strength for the final match away at Sociedad in an effort to secure top spot in the group and avoid an extra play-off match.
READ MORE: What Francis Uzoho said to Erik ten Hag
Even with a strong line-up, United struggled to find a way past the inspired Francis Uzoho, though on another day it quite easily could have been a comfortable win that would have allowed them more experimentation with their changes from the bench.
Had they headed into the final stages of the match with a comfortable lead, the Dutchman might well have turned to Alejandro Garnacho, Facundo Pellistri or Zidane Iqbal on the bench. Instead, he looked for inspiration from Luke Shaw, Jadon Sancho, Christian Eriksen and matchwinner Scott McTominay.
Diogo Dalot's place was never in doubt, though.
With Aaron Wan-Bissaka ruled out due to injury, Dalot's starting spot was assured ahead of the match, but even if Wan-Bissaka had been fit, there appears to be no way he would have actually been involved at any stage.
Ten Hag has already identified both Victor Lindelof and Tyrell Malacia as options who could fill in at right-back if required, though he has had a reluctance to actually do that this season.
Dalot has started every single match for United this season, and it seems like he will continue to do so given the lack of genuine competition for his starting role.
It's fair to say he has deserved it as well. The 23-year-old started the season in superb form but has regressed in recent weeks, perhaps as a result of the heavy workload he's had to deal with as much as it is of his own shortcomings as a player.
He won all of his tackles against Omonia, completed 97 per cent of his 82 passes, won three tackles and created four chances from the right-back role. But if you take away the stats and judge him solely based on what you saw, it was another mixed performance with careless losses of possession and a lack of overlapping runs.
What is complicated, though, is that Dalot is now in the same position as Wan-Bissaka was when he joined the club three years ago. He arrived as an immediate improvement on what was already available at right-back, but a promising start was underpinned by eventual burnout and a lack of rotation.
United will be in the market for a new right-back next year and Dalot's form between now and the end of the season could well influence what profile of player they target.
There are still doubts about the Portugal international's long-term suitability for the role, and it is hard to see how he'll maintain a high level of performance throughout the season if he is not given rest at certain points.
Again, that is easier said than done. Wan-Bissaka is injured and out of favour, Brandon Williams, who has spent the majority of his professional career on the left, is also out, Ethan Laird is on loan at QPR, and youngster Marc Jurado is still too inexperienced for the senior spotlight.
Ten Hag will need to come up with a contingency plan in order to keep Dalot protected for the matches that matter most, but with so much at stake this season, it is difficult to suggest matches in which they can rest him with no clear options in reserve.
There is no obvious solution to United's recurring right-back dilemma. Nevertheless, they need to find one.
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