🔗 Share this article

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

Prior to their trip to Nottingham Forest, Man Utd had secured just eight points from deficit situations under Ruben Amorim. They had failed to secure any from the previous six matches when they trailed since the match to AFC Bournemouth last April, when a last-minute effort secured a tie.

When they went down at the City Ground after conceding two goals in a couple of minutes, as Forest reversed a controversial opening period opener, 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 the previous campaign, do you believe it would have ended in defeat?'

The response was equally emphatic.

"Yes, and by a larger margin, that is my feeling."

It's impossible to determine the actual outcome. However, we do know that the young player demonstrated why the coach picks him at defensive wing by flashing home a sensational first-time volley from near the edge of the penalty area nine minutes from time to secure a draw.

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

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

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

"In the past, if we had this kind of bad short period and we conceded two goals, we don't recover," stated the coach. "Now is a different feeling. It's evident we might not win this game but we are determined not to be defeated. And that is a mindset a big team occasionally has to have."

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

Cunha is not the type to retreat from difficult situations, on the contrary indeed. In the opening period, when he was jeered by the home fans for what they believed was his tactical play, he responded - rather than ignore it - pointing to the crest on his shorts.

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

Amorim was questioned precisely what had caused the psychological growth. Apart from saying the confidence generated from the previous three consecutive victories, 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 assurance. The players comprehend one another better. We communicate increased about this.

"We demonstrated this season we can have difficult periods but then, we have three strong performances.

"It's essential to remain engaged in the game until the final 10 minutes. Previously, we could have collapsed completely based on how we performed in the game. Now, the impression was not that one."

Uncertainty Remains Over Futures of the striker and the midfielder

While this represented a day when the team displayed their resilience, it was also a day that must have left Joshua Zirkzee and Kobbie Mainoo increasingly uncertain of their futures in the manager's new-look squad.

In his before the game press conference, the coach said it was likely players who believe they are at danger of missing the international tournament will ask to leave in the January signing period.

One can reasonably conclude Zirkzee and Mainoo fall into that bracket. Zirkzee has managed 82 minutes from his four Premier League substitute appearances this season. For the young player, the total is 138 from seven.

Not one has started a Premier League match so far and nor were they asked to be substituted on at the stadium, as United chased a way back into a contest they were trailing in from the 50th minute.

"We have a lot of talent on the bench but sometimes I have the impression if I'm going to stop the game all the time, I'm going to interrupt something," explained Amorim. "Our performance was getting better during the second half, so my feeling was not to change the setup with the guys in attack."

The midfielder had a agreement in place to move to Napoli in the last days of the transfer period but the club would not sanction a deal. The striker was returning from a fitness issue but is now considering the possibility of a return to Italy.

The circumstances is made more complex by the loss of Mbeumo and Amad to the continental tournament in the middle of the winter, a period which features a couple of weekday matches which will demand a degree of rotation unseen before.

Since the final is on 18 January, the duo are expected to be back long before the signing period closes on February 2nd - which could result in a later resolution than any wantaway individual would like.

"This is about the characteristics of the sport," said the coach, when asked specifically about Zirkzee and Mainoo. "The players understand it's temporary.

"It isn't related to quality - and we have a lot of fixtures."