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When you cannot triumph, don't lose - so the old saying goes.

Before their journey to Nottingham Forest, Man Utd had gained only eight points from deficit situations under their manager. They had failed to secure any from the past six games when they found themselves behind since the match to AFC Bournemouth last spring, when a last-minute goal snatched a tie.

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

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

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

The response was just as emphatic.

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

It's impossible to determine the reality. However, we do know that the young player demonstrated why the coach picks him at defensive wing by flashing home a spectacular volleyed strike from near the edge of the penalty area nine minutes from time to secure a point.

It has been obvious since the start of the season that United are playing better this term. Since the beginning of autumn, they have additionally been getting better results.

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

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

"In the past, if we had this kind of bad five minutes and we conceded a couple of goals, we don't recover," stated Amorim. "Today is a distinct feeling. It's evident we could not win the match but we are not going to lose. And that is a mindset a big team sometimes must possess."

Amorim didn't say it, but the signing of the Brazilian forward and the winger must have helped.

Cunha is not one to shy away from challenging circumstances, actually the opposite in fact. In the first half, when he was booed by the local supporters for what they felt was his tactical play, he responded - instead of ignoring them - pointing to the badge on his shorts.

Mbeumo is a hustle-bustle menace, the perfect example of a footballer who will not give an rival a moment's peace.

The coach was asked precisely what had caused the psychological growth. Beyond saying the confidence gained from the previous three consecutive victories, he didn't provide an explanation.

"Our self-belief, naturally, is totally different," he said. "We came from three positive performances and we have a newfound assurance. We understand each other better. We communicate increased about this.

"We proved this season we can have difficult periods but suddenly, we have three strong performances.

"We just need to remain engaged in the game until the last moments. In the past, we could have collapsed completely based on how we played the encounter. Today, the impression was not that one."

Doubt Lingers Over Prospects of the striker and Mainoo

If this was a occasion when United showed their resilience, it was also a day that likely created Joshua Zirkzee and the young midfielder even more uncertain of their roles in Amorim's revamped squad.

In his before the game press conference, the coach stated it was possible members of the squad who think they are at danger of not making the World Cup will request transfers in the January transfer window.

One can reasonably conclude the striker and the midfielder fit into that category. The forward has accumulated 82 minutes from his 4 top-flight substitute appearances in the current campaign. For Mainoo, the number is over two hours from 7.

Neither has started a Premier League match this season and nor were they asked to come off the bench at the City Ground, as the team chased a route to recovery into a game they were trailing in from the 50th minute.

"Our squad includes a lot of quality on the bench but sometimes I have the impression if I'm going to disrupt the flow all the time, I'm going to interrupt something," explained the manager. "We were improving during the later stages, so my feeling was not to change anything with the guys in attack."

Mainoo had a deal in progress to join the Italian club in the last days of the transfer period but the club would not approve a deal. The striker was coming back from a fitness issue but is currently open to the idea of a move back to Serie A.

The circumstances is made more complex by the loss of Mbeumo and Amad to the Africa Cup of Nations in the midst of the winter, a period which includes a few weekday matches which will demand a degree of squad changes unseen before.

As the championship match is on 18 January, the duo should be back well before the signing period ends on February 2nd - which could result in a later outcome than what wantaway individual would prefer.

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

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