Manchester United head into tonight's Europa League last-16 clash away to Real Betis having all but secured their place in the last eight, with the Red Devils holding a commanding, 4-1 aggregate lead following the first-leg meeting at Old Trafford.

Last week's encounter saw Erik ten Hag's men produce a stunning second-half display to take full control of the tie, shaking off early nerves following the previous defeat to Liverpool to ruthlessly power their way to victory.

That handsome, three-goal advantage should allow the chance for the Ajax boss to somewhat shuffle his pack this evening, despite the fact that the Dutchman has typically avoided the temptation to rotate throughout his United tenure thus far.

The 53-year-old will be forced into at least one alteration from the weekend draw with Southampton, however, following the news that summer signing Antony will not make the trip to Seville due to illness.

With fellow winger Alejandro Garnacho also facing a spell on the sidelines after picking up an ankle injury against the Saints - and with Anthony Martial still not ready to make his return to action - it could be an ideal opportunity for Ten Hag to hand what would be a first start for the club to promising youngster, Facundo Pellistri.

Will Pellistri play against Betis?

The 21-year-old is still waiting for his first inclusion in a starting lineup for the Red Devils, having been limited to just six first-team appearances since making his move from Penarol on a £9m deal back in 2020.

It was, in fact, only earlier this year that the Uruguayan international was handed his debut at the club by Ten Hag, with the young speedster bizarrely featuring for his country at a World Cup before being handed a senior bow at the Theatre of Dreams.

There are likely those scratching their heads as to why the 5 foot 9 menace has not yet been unleashed from the start, having seemingly made a telling impact whenever he has come off the bench in recent months.

The lively gem notably contributed an assist on debut in the Carabao Cup victory over Charlton Athletic, while it was also his driving run through the middle that ultimately lead to Bruno Fernandes' late strike in the semi-final, first-leg win over Nottingham Forest.

The Montevideo native then played his part in sparking his side's comeback against Leeds United last month, doing 'brilliantly to retain the ball' on the flanks in the build-up to Marcus Rashford's bullet header, as per Manchester Evening News journalist Samuel Luckhurst.

Against Betis last week, Pellistri then took just a matter of seconds after entering the fray as a substitute to again prove crucial in Wout Weghorst's late clincher, producing a "scintillating", driving run inside the area - as per Express journalist Alex Turk - before expertly picking out the advancing Scott McTominay, who's rebounded effort eventually fell the way of Weghorst.

While such moments of magic have been rather fleeting, the ten-cap ace has proven he can cause havoc in the final third, with the time having now come for the exciting talent to be handed a chance from the start - even if his future is set to lie elsewhere next season amid talk of a temporary exit.

With Pellistri likely to feel comfortable performing against Manuel Pellegrini's men this evening - having previously spent 18 months on loan in Spain with Alaves - he could well be something of a secret weapon for Ten Hag tonight.