Donny van de Beek, Amad Diallo and Anthony Elanga - three players who could start for Man Utd against Young Boys

Manchester United have already qualified for the knockout stages of the Champions League, giving Ralf Rangnick an early chance to experiment.

United made sure of their passage when they secured an away victory at Villarreal, giving them a three-point cushion over the second-placed Spaniards, and put them four points clear of third place, meaning the only thing left to play for is to be sure of who tops their group.

Of course that can prove to be an important bonus, but United’s last game in the group stage on Wednesday is to face Swiss team Young Boys who, despite the calamity under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the first meeting, are eminently beatable.

German interim manager Rangnick has spoken appreciatively of his players for the efforts of their last two games, when they secured three points in each of their matches against Arsenal and then Crystal Palace. The former Red Bull man noted that they put plenty of effort into both games despite the quick turnaround, and with qualification in Europe assured, he may take the opportunity to give first-teamers a rest and bring in others.

Perhaps the likeliest pair to get the nod are Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Luke Shaw. Both of them have found themselves dropped, in favour of Diogo Dalot and Alex Telles respectively. The England internationals must be aware of their imperfect contributions, with neither of them assured when their positioning needs attention, and neither of them are devastating in attack. Dalot and Telles are limited in their own ways too, but perhaps Rangnick will use this opportunity to see if competition spurs the players into improvement. Either way, he will learn something of their personalities.

The 'McFred' duo will probably be broken up, too. Fred contributed a rare goal, and Scott McTominay was adequate, but the experienced Nemanja Matic could be given the chance to see if his 33 years of experience can negate his 33 years of exertions, which could be tough when it comes to the hard-running demanded. Donny van de Beek has been wasted by the club so far since his arrival, and even if he is destined for the exit door, giving him the chance to play himself into form will either help the first team for the rest of the season and beyond, or make sure they can demand a decent fee for him when the window opens.

In attack, Rangnick could be tempted to give Jesse Lingard time in order to persuade him to stay. Lingard is apparently keen to move on, but it is easy to see why, at his best, he could be a player suitable for Rangnick. He might have limited technique but he is willing to run down the channels, and could probably do that from any position on either flank. If the new manager can convince Lingard there is something exciting happening at Old Trafford, then he could potentially reverse his contract decision.

Ahead of the midfield, Jadon Sancho could be given another runout, having spent much of his time ignored on the bench by Solskjaer. Marcus Rashford could use the minutes as he struggles for fitness and rhythm after his shoulder injury, and Mason Greenwood also needs more time on the pitch. Neither of them should be vulnerable to any kind of fatigue after their uneventful starts to the season, and it would also allow Cristiano Ronaldo the night off.

Of course, the 36-year-old Portuguese striker still wants to play in every match, but common sense dictates that a player so old and so important should be given more chances to recover than he needed at his peak. Ducking out of what is close to a dead rubber makes sense, with three points needed regularly in the Premier League if they are to be in next season’s tournament.

That would allow Edinson Cavani in, too. He could soon be on his way to Barcelona where he is reportedly wanted by Xavi Hernandez to replace the ailing Sergio Aguero. There are, then, no concerns about managing his long-term physical fitness, and he is no fool in front of goal.

There is of course the chance that Eric Bailly, Anthony Elanga, Hannibal Mejbri, Dean Henderson, Amad Diallo and others all get their chances to come in from the fringes. At both Red Bull sides they were able to spot youngsters to come in and seize their chances to the surprise of observers.

Three points are on offer on Wednesday night, but there are much bigger rewards on offer for those picked by Rangnick.