🔗 Share this article

When you cannot win, don't lose - so the old saying goes.

Before their visit to Nottingham Forest, Manchester United had gained just eight points from deficit situations with their manager. They had failed to secure a single point from the previous six matches when they were losing since the match to AFC Bournemouth last April, when a late goal secured a draw.

When they went down at the stadium after conceding twice in a couple of minutes, as Forest reversed a disputed opening period opener, United were facing defeat.

The inquiry to the manager after his side fought back to draw could not have been more straightforward.

'If that game happened the previous campaign, do you believe it would have ended in defeat?'

The response was equally emphatic.

"Yes, and by a larger margin, in my opinion."

We can never know the actual outcome. What we do know that the young player demonstrated why the coach selects him at wing-back by scoring a brilliant first-time volley from near the edge of the penalty area nine minutes from time to earn a draw.

It has been obvious since the start of the season that United are playing better this season. Since the beginning of October, they have additionally been getting better results.

The resolve, the desire, the refusal to give in are intangibles.

In this match, the manager believed his squad demonstrated they have improved at that as well.

"Previously, if we had this kind of poor short period and we suffered two goals, we don't recover," stated Amorim. "Now is a different feeling. It's evident we could not triumph in the match but we are not going to lose. And that is a mindset a big team sometimes has to have."

The manager didn't say it, but the signing of Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo probably made a difference.

Cunha is not one to shy away from challenging circumstances, actually the opposite indeed. In the opening period, when he was jeered by the home fans for what they felt was his tactical play, he responded - instead of ignoring them - pointing to the crest on his shorts.

Mbeumo is a constant threat, the epitome of a player who will not give an rival any rest.

Amorim was questioned precisely what had caused the psychological growth. Beyond mentioning the self-belief generated from the prior three consecutive victories, he didn't really give an answer.

"The confidence, of course, is completely different," he stated. "Following three good games and we have a different assurance. We understand each other better. We communicate increased about these aspects.

"We proved this year we can experience bad moments but then, we produce three strong performances.

"We just need to be engaged in the game until the last moments. In the past, we could have collapsed completely the way we performed in the encounter. Now, the feeling was not that one."

Uncertainty Lingers Over Prospects of Zirkzee and Mainoo

If this was a occasion when United displayed their fighting spirit, it was additionally a day that must have left Joshua Zirkzee and the young midfielder even more unsure of their roles in the manager's revamped squad.

In his before the game press conference, the coach stated it was possible members of the squad who think they are at danger of not making the World Cup will ask to leave in the winter transfer window.

It is fair to assume the striker and Mainoo fall into that category. Zirkzee has accumulated less than two full games from his 4 top-flight substitute appearances this season. For Mainoo, the number is 138 from seven.

Neither has started a Premier League match this season and neither were they asked to be substituted on at the stadium, as United sought a way back into a game they were trailing in from the second half.

"Our squad includes a great deal of quality on the substitutes but sometimes I have the impression if I'm going to stop the game constantly, I'm going to break something," explained Amorim. "We were improving during the later stages, so my feeling was not to change anything with the guys in attack."

The midfielder had a deal in progress to move to Napoli in the last days of the transfer period but the club would not sanction a transfer. The striker was coming back from injury but is now open to the idea of a move back to Italy.

The situation is complicated by the loss of Mbeumo and Amad to the continental tournament in the midst of the winter, a period which features a couple of weekday matches which will demand a level of squad changes not previously needed.

As the final is on 18 January, the pair should be returned well before the signing period ends on 2 February - which could result in a delayed resolution than any wantaway individual would prefer.

"This is about the characteristics of the game," commented the coach, when questioned specifically about Zirkzee and Mainoo. "The players understand it's temporary.

"It's nothing to do with quality - and we have a many fixtures."