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If you can't triumph, don't lose - according to traditional wisdom.

Before their trip to Nottingham Forest, Manchester United had gained merely eight points from losing positions under their manager. They had failed to secure any from the past six matches when they trailed since the trip to AFC Bournemouth last April, when a late effort secured a draw.

When they were behind at the City Ground after letting in twice in a couple of minutes, as Forest overturned a controversial first-half goal, Manchester United were staring down the barrel.

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

'If that game occurred last season, do you feel it would have ended in defeat?'

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 defensive wing by scoring a sensational volleyed strike from just outside the penalty area late in the game to earn a draw.

It has been obvious since the beginning of the season that Manchester United are performing at a higher level this term. Since the beginning of autumn, they have additionally been achieving more positive outcomes.

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

In this game, the manager felt his squad showed they have got better at that too.

"In the past, if we had such a bad five minutes and we suffered a couple of goals, we wouldn't bounce back," said the coach. "Now is a different sensation. You can sense we might not triumph in this game but we are not going to lose. And this represents a feeling a major club sometimes must possess."

The manager didn't mention it, but the signing of Matheus Cunha and the winger likely contributed.

The attacker is not one to shy away from difficult situations, actually the opposite indeed. In the opening period, when he was jeered by the home fans for what they felt was his gamesmanship, he responded - rather than ignore it - pointing to the crest on his shorts.

The forward is a hustle-bustle menace, the epitome of a player who will never allow an opponent a moment's peace.

The coach was asked precisely what had led to the mental improvement. Beyond mentioning the self-belief gained from the prior three successive wins, he didn't provide an explanation.

"The confidence, naturally, is completely different," he said. "We came from three positive performances and we have a newfound assurance. The players comprehend one another better. We talk increased about these aspects.

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

"It's essential to be engaged in the match until the last moments. In the past, we could have collapsed completely based on how we performed in the encounter. Now, the feeling was different."

Uncertainty Remains Over Prospects of the striker and the midfielder

While this represented a occasion when United showed their fighting spirit, it was additionally a day that must have left Joshua Zirkzee and the young midfielder even more unsure of their futures in the manager's new-look squad.

In his before the game media briefing, Amorim stated it was likely members of the squad who think they are at risk of missing the international tournament will request transfers in the winter transfer window.

One can reasonably conclude Zirkzee and Mainoo fall into that bracket. The forward 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 over two hours from 7.

Neither has started a league game this season and neither were they called upon to come off the bench at the stadium, as United sought a route to recovery into a game they were trailing in from the 50th minute.

"Our squad includes a lot of talent on the substitutes but at times I have the feeling if I'm going to disrupt the game constantly, I'm going to interrupt the rhythm," said Amorim. "We were improving during the later stages, so my feeling was to avoid altering anything with the players in attack."

Mainoo had a deal in progress to move to Napoli in the final stages of the transfer period but United would not approve a deal. Zirkzee was coming back from injury but is now open to the idea of a return to Serie A.

The situation is complicated by the loss of the winger and the wing-back to the continental tournament in the midst of the winter, a period which includes a couple of weekday matches which will demand a degree of rotation unseen before.

Since the final is on January 18th, the pair are expected to be returned well before the signing period closes on 2 February - which may mean a delayed outcome than what eager to leave player would like.

"It is the characteristics of the game," said the coach, when asked directly about Zirkzee and the midfielder. "They know it's temporary.

"It isn't related to quality - and we have a many games."