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

Before their visit to Nottingham Forest, Manchester United had gained only 8 points from losing positions with their manager. They had not got a single point from the previous six games when they trailed since the match to Bournemouth last spring, when a late effort snatched a draw.

When they went down at the stadium after letting in twice in a couple of minutes, as Forest reversed a contentious first-half goal, United were facing defeat.

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

'If that game happened last season, do you believe you would have lost it?'

The response was equally emphatic.

"Yes, and by more goals, that is my feeling."

We can never know the actual outcome. What we do know that Amad Diallo demonstrated why the coach 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 season that United are performing at a higher level this season. Since the beginning of autumn, they have additionally been achieving more positive outcomes.

The resolve, the will, the unwillingness to surrender are intangibles.

In this game, the manager believed his players demonstrated they have got better at that as well.

"Previously, if we had such a poor short period and we conceded two goals, we don't recover," stated the coach. "Now is a distinct feeling. You can sense we might not triumph in the match but we are not going to lose. And that is a feeling a big team sometimes has to have."

Amorim didn't mention it, but the arrival of the Brazilian forward and Bryan Mbeumo likely contributed.

Cunha is not the type to retreat from challenging circumstances, quite the reverse in fact. In the first half, when he was booed by the home fans for what they believed was his tactical play, he reacted - instead of ignoring them - pointing to the crest on his kit.

Mbeumo is a hustle-bustle menace, the perfect example of a player who will not give an rival any rest.

Amorim was asked exactly what had caused the psychological growth. Beyond saying the confidence gained from the prior three consecutive victories, he didn't provide an answer.

"Our self-belief, of course, is completely changed," he stated. "We came from three positive performances and we have a different assurance. We understand one another more effectively. We talk more about these aspects.

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

"It's essential to be engaged in the match until the final 10 minutes. Previously, we could have lost everything the way we played the encounter. Today, the impression was different."

Doubt Remains Over Prospects of the striker and Mainoo

While this represented a day when the team displayed their fighting spirit, it was additionally a day that must have left the Dutch forward and the young midfielder increasingly unsure of their roles in the manager's new-look squad.

In his pre-match press conference, the coach said it was possible members of the squad who believe they are at danger of not making the international tournament will ask to leave in the January transfer window.

It is fair to assume the striker and Mainoo fit into that category. Zirkzee has accumulated less than two full games from his four Premier League substitute appearances in the current campaign. For the young player, the number is 138 from seven.

Not one has begun a Premier League match so far and neither were they called upon to come off the bench at the City Ground, as the team sought a route to recovery into a game they were losing from the 50th minute.

"We have a lot of quality on the bench but sometimes I have the impression if I'm going to stop the flow all the time, I'm going to interrupt the rhythm," said the manager. "We were improving during the second half, so my instinct was not to change the setup with the guys in front."

The midfielder had a deal in progress to join the Italian club in the final stages of the transfer period but the club would not approve a deal. Zirkzee was coming back from a fitness issue but is now considering the idea of a move back to Serie A.

The situation is made more complex by the absence of Mbeumo and the wing-back to the Africa Cup of Nations in the middle of the winter, a period which features a few weekday matches which will demand a degree of rotation not previously needed.

Since the final is on 18 January, the duo should be back well before the transfer window ends on 2 February - which may mean a delayed outcome than any wantaway player would like.

"It is the characteristics of the sport," said Amorim, when questioned directly about the forward and the midfielder. "They know it's just a moment.

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