🔗 Share this article

If you can't triumph, avoid defeat - according to traditional wisdom.

Prior to their journey to Nottingham Forest, Manchester United had earned just 8 points from losing positions under Ruben Amorim. They had failed to secure any from the past six matches when they found themselves behind since the trip to Bournemouth last spring, when a late goal secured a tie.

When they went down at the stadium after conceding two goals in a short span, as Forest overturned a controversial first-half opener, Manchester United were in serious trouble.

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

Had that match happened the previous campaign, do you feel you would have lost it?'

The answer was just as forceful.

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

It's impossible to determine the reality. What we do know that the young player demonstrated why Amorim selects him at wing-back by flashing home a brilliant first-time volley from near the edge of the box nine minutes from time to earn a draw.

It's been clear since the start of the campaign that United are playing better this term. Since the start of autumn, they have additionally been achieving more positive outcomes.

The determination, the desire, the refusal to give in are unquantifiables.

In this game, Amorim felt his players showed they have got better at that too.

"In the past, if we had such a poor short period and we suffered two goals, we don't recover," stated Amorim. "Today is a different sensation. You can sense we could not win this game but we are determined not to be defeated. And that is a mindset a big team occasionally must possess."

The manager didn't mention it, but the arrival of Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo must have helped.

Cunha is not one to shy away from difficult situations, quite the reverse in fact. In the first half, when he was booed by the local supporters for what they felt was his gamesmanship, he responded - instead of ignoring them - gesturing toward the badge on his shorts.

Mbeumo is a energetic nuisance, the perfect example of a player who will never allow an rival a moment's peace.

Amorim was asked exactly what had caused the mental improvement. Beyond saying the self-belief generated from the previous three successive wins, he didn't really give an answer.

"The confidence, of course, is completely different," he stated. "We came from three good games and we have a different confidence. The players comprehend one another more effectively. We talk increased about this.

"We demonstrated this season we can experience bad moments but suddenly, we produce three good games.

"It's essential to remain engaged in the game until the last moments. In the past, we could have collapsed completely the way we performed in the game. Now, the feeling was not that one."

Uncertainty Remains Regarding Prospects of Zirkzee and Mainoo

While this represented a occasion when the team showed their resilience, it was additionally a day that likely created Joshua Zirkzee and the young midfielder increasingly unsure of their futures in Amorim's revamped squad.

In his before the game media briefing, the coach stated it was likely players who think they are at risk of missing the World Cup will request transfers in the January transfer window.

One can reasonably conclude Zirkzee and Mainoo fit into that bracket. Zirkzee has managed less than two full games from his four top-flight substitute appearances in the current campaign. For the young player, the total is 138 from seven.

Neither has begun a Premier League game so far and neither were they asked to come off the bench at the stadium, as the team sought a way back into a contest they were trailing in from the 50th minute.

"Our squad includes a great deal of talent on the bench but at times I have the feeling if I'm going to stop the game constantly, I'm going to interrupt something," explained Amorim. "We were improving during the later stages, so my feeling was not to change the setup with the guys in attack."

Mainoo had a agreement in place to move to Napoli in the last days of the transfer period but United would not sanction a transfer. Zirkzee was returning from a fitness issue but is now open to the possibility of a return to Italy.

The circumstances is complicated by the loss of Mbeumo and the wing-back to the Africa Cup of Nations in the middle of the winter, a time which features a couple of midweek games which will require a level of squad changes unseen before.

Since the championship match is on January 18th, the pair should be back long before the signing period closes on 2 February - which could result in a later resolution than what eager to leave player would prefer.

"This is about the characteristics of the sport," commented Amorim, when asked specifically about the forward and Mainoo. "The players understand it's just a moment.

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