Any manager who can afford to leave Paul Pogba and Edinson Cavani out of his starting XI for a match with a leading rival should always have a team capable of winning major trophies.
When that manager is Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and the club in question Manchester United, every decision is subject to the utmost scrutiny.
Even with this draw, United are in the title race and if Solskjaer can deliver their first since 2013, every controversial selection will have been justified.
More words have been written and spoken about Pogba’s status at United than almost any other topic in English football, yet the fact remains that this is a player of global standing who produced a decisive performance to help France beat Croatia in the last World Cup Final.