Aye, but that has to be weighed against the fact that Okkels.
Yes, you can bench him, especially if it's down to fitness. I also agree though that Nilsen and Shinnie were better than Nilsen and Palaversa in the previous game (Clarkson was also better than Palaversa when he came on in the same role). If I were dropping either of the two, though, it'd be Nilsen. Despite having the better game on the ball, he was largely responsible for the gaping holes in behind as he doesn't get back and doesn't sit when Shinnie goes. Of course, that was against a good team, and not hugely relevant against utd, where we'd probably want his ability on the ball. The biggest thing for me though was that he was down to walking pace when he came off. Ten minutes prior, MacKenzie was 2 on 1 at left back, and was pointing for Nilsen to track his man, but he just stood in the worst possible position, because he knew he wasn't going to be able to match the run, leaving MacKenzie to pick up both players.