🔗 Share this article

If you can't win, don't lose - so the old saying goes.

Before their visit to Forest, Manchester United had earned just 8 points from deficit situations under their manager. They had failed to secure any from the previous six games when they found themselves behind since the match to Bournemouth last April, when a late effort snatched a draw.

When they went down at the City Ground after letting in twice in a couple of minutes, as Nottingham Forest overturned a controversial opening period opener, United were staring down the barrel.

The inquiry to the manager after his side recovered to tie could not have been more direct.

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

The response was equally emphatic.

"Yes, and by more goals, in my opinion."

We can never know the reality. However, we do know that Amad Diallo showed why Amorim picks him at wing-back by flashing home a spectacular first-time volley from near the edge of the box nine minutes from time to secure a draw.

It has been obvious since the beginning of the campaign that United are performing at a higher level this season. Since the start of autumn, they have additionally been getting better results.

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

In this match, the manager believed his squad showed they have improved at that too.

"In the past, if we had this kind of bad short period and we conceded two goals, we wouldn't bounce back," said the coach. "Now is a distinct sensation. It's evident we might not win the match but we are not going to lose. And this represents a feeling a big team sometimes must possess."

Amorim didn't mention it, but the signing of the Brazilian forward and the winger likely contributed.

Cunha is not the type to retreat from difficult situations, quite the reverse indeed. In the opening period, when he was jeered by the home fans for what they believed was his tactical play, he responded - instead of ignoring them - gesturing toward the crest on his shorts.

Mbeumo is a constant threat, the perfect example of a player who will not give an opponent a moment's peace.

The coach was questioned precisely what had led to the psychological growth. Beyond saying the self-belief generated from the prior three consecutive victories, he didn't really give an answer.

"The confidence, of course, is totally different," he said. "We came from three positive performances and we have a different confidence. We understand one another better. We talk more about these aspects.

"We proved this year we can experience difficult periods but suddenly, we produce three strong performances.

"We just need to be engaged in the match until the final 10 minutes. Previously, we could have collapsed completely based on how we played the encounter. Today, the impression was different."

Uncertainty Lingers Over Prospects of Zirkzee and Mainoo

If this was a occasion when United showed their resilience, it was also a moment that likely created Joshua Zirkzee and the young midfielder even more unsure of their roles in Amorim's new-look Manchester United.

In his before the game media briefing, the coach stated it was possible members of the squad who think they are at risk of missing the World Cup will ask to leave in the January signing period.

One can reasonably conclude the striker and the midfielder fall into that bracket. The forward has managed 82 minutes from his four top-flight substitute appearances in the current campaign. For Mainoo, the total is over two hours from 7.

Neither has started a league match so far and nor were they called upon to come off the bench at the stadium, as United chased a way back into a game they were losing from the second half.

"We have a great deal of talent on the bench but at times I have the impression if I'm going to disrupt the flow constantly, I'm going to interrupt something," said Amorim. "Our performance was getting better during the later stages, so my instinct was not to change anything with the guys in attack."

The midfielder had a deal in place to move to Napoli in the last days of the summer window but United would not approve a transfer. The striker was coming back from a fitness issue but is now considering the idea of a return to Serie A.

The situation is made more complex by the absence of the winger and the wing-back to the Africa Cup of Nations in the midst of the winter, a period which features a couple of weekday matches which will require a degree of squad changes not previously needed.

Since the final is on 18 January, the pair should be returned well before the transfer window closes on February 2nd - which may mean a later resolution than what eager to leave player would prefer.

"It is the demands of the sport," said the coach, when asked specifically about the forward and the midfielder. "They know it's just a moment.

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