🔗 Share this article

If you can't triumph, avoid defeat - as the proverb states.

Before their trip to Forest, Manchester United had secured merely eight points from deficit situations under their manager. They had failed to secure any from the previous six matches when they were losing since the trip to Bournemouth last spring, when a last-minute effort secured a draw.

When they found themselves trailing at the City Ground after conceding two goals in a couple of minutes, as Forest reversed a disputed first-half goal, Manchester United were in serious trouble.

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

Had that match occurred last season, do you believe you would have lost it?'

The answer was equally emphatic.

"Yes, and by a larger margin, that is my feeling."

We can never know the actual outcome. What we do know that Amad Diallo demonstrated why Amorim selects him at defensive wing by scoring a brilliant first-time volley from near the edge of the box late in the game to secure a draw.

It's been clear since the beginning of the campaign that United are performing at a higher level this season. Since the start of autumn, they have also been getting better results.

The resolve, the desire, the unwillingness to surrender are unquantifiables.

In this match, the manager felt his squad showed they have got better at that as well.

"In the past, if we had such a poor five minutes and we conceded a couple of goals, we don't recover," stated the coach. "Now is a distinct feeling. You can sense we might not win the match but we are determined not to be defeated. And this represents a mindset a major club sometimes has to have."

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

Cunha is not one to shy away from challenging circumstances, actually the opposite indeed. In the first half, when he was jeered by the local supporters for what they felt was his tactical play, he responded - rather than ignore it - pointing to the crest on his shorts.

The forward is a energetic nuisance, the perfect example of a player who will not give an rival any rest.

Amorim was questioned precisely what had caused the mental improvement. Beyond saying the self-belief gained from the previous three consecutive victories, he didn't really give an explanation.

"The confidence, of course, is completely different," he said. "Following three good games and we have a newfound confidence. The players comprehend each other more effectively. We talk increased about these aspects.

"We proved this year we can experience bad moments but suddenly, we have three good games.

"We just need to remain engaged in the match until the last moments. In the past, we could have lost everything the way we played the game. Today, the feeling was different."

Uncertainty Remains Over Prospects of Zirkzee and Mainoo

If this was a day when the team displayed their fighting spirit, it was additionally a day that likely created Joshua Zirkzee and Kobbie Mainoo even more unsure of their roles in Amorim's revamped Manchester United.

In his before the game press conference, the coach stated it was likely players who think they are at danger of missing the international tournament will ask to leave in the January signing period.

It is fair to assume the striker and the midfielder fit into that category. The forward has managed 82 minutes from his 4 top-flight cameo roles this season. For Mainoo, the total is over two hours from 7.

Neither has started a Premier League game this season and neither were they asked to come off the bench at the stadium, as the team sought a way back into a game they were losing from the 50th minute.

"Our squad includes a great deal of quality on the bench but at times I have the impression if I'm going to stop the flow constantly, I'm going to interrupt the rhythm," said the manager. "Our performance was getting better during the second half, so my feeling was not to change the setup with the players in attack."

Mainoo had a deal in progress to join Napoli in the final stages of the summer window but United would not sanction a transfer. The striker was returning from injury but is now considering the idea of a return to Italy.

The circumstances is made more complex by the loss of the winger and Amad to the continental tournament in the midst of the winter, a period which features a couple of midweek games which will require a degree of squad changes unseen before.

Since the championship match is on 18 January, the pair are expected to be returned long before the signing period ends on February 2nd - which may mean a delayed resolution than any wantaway individual would like.

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

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