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

Before their visit to Nottingham Forest, Manchester United had secured merely eight points from losing positions with their manager. They had failed to secure any from the previous six games when they trailed since the trip to Bournemouth last spring, when a last-minute goal secured a draw.

When they found themselves trailing at the stadium after conceding two goals in a short span, as Forest reversed a controversial first-half goal, United were staring down the barrel.

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

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

The answer was equally forceful.

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

It's impossible to determine the reality. However, we do know that Amad Diallo demonstrated why Amorim selects him at defensive wing by scoring a brilliant volleyed strike from just outside the penalty area nine minutes from time to secure a draw.

It's been clear since the beginning of the campaign that Manchester United are performing at a higher level this term. Since the start of autumn, they have additionally been achieving more positive outcomes.

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

In this match, the manager believed his players demonstrated they have got better at that too.

"Previously, if we had such a bad five minutes and we conceded a couple of goals, we don't recover," said the coach. "Today is a different feeling. It's evident we might not win this game but we are determined not to be defeated. And this represents a mindset a big team occasionally must possess."

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

The attacker is not one to shy away from difficult situations, quite the reverse indeed. In the first half, when he was jeered by the local supporters for what they felt was his gamesmanship, he responded - instead of ignoring them - gesturing toward the crest on his kit.

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

The coach was asked precisely what had led to the psychological growth. Beyond mentioning the confidence generated from the prior three successive wins, he didn't provide an answer.

"Our self-belief, of course, is totally different," he stated. "We came from three positive performances and we have a newfound confidence. We understand each other more effectively. We talk more about this.

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

"It's essential to be inside the match until the final 10 minutes. Previously, we could have lost everything based on how we played the game. Now, the feeling was not that one."

Doubt Lingers Regarding Futures of the striker and Mainoo

While this represented a day when United displayed their resilience, it was additionally a day that must have left the Dutch forward and the young midfielder increasingly unsure of their futures in the manager's new-look Manchester United.

In his before the game media briefing, Amorim said it was likely members of the squad who believe they are at danger of not making the World Cup will ask to leave in the winter transfer window.

One can reasonably conclude the striker and the midfielder fit into that bracket. Zirkzee has managed less than two full games from his 4 Premier League cameo roles in the current campaign. For the young player, the number is over two hours from 7.

Neither 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 chased a route to recovery into a game they were losing from the 50th minute.

"We have a lot of quality on the substitutes but sometimes I have the impression if I'm going to disrupt the game all the time, I'm going to break something," explained the manager. "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 deal in place to move to the Italian club in the last days of the transfer period but United would not approve a transfer. Zirkzee was coming back from a fitness issue but is now considering the possibility of a move back to Serie A.

The circumstances is made more complex by the absence of the winger and Amad to the continental tournament in the middle of the winter, a period which features a couple of weekday matches which will require a level of rotation not previously needed.

As the final is on January 18th, the pair are expected to be returned long before the signing period closes on February 2nd - which could result in a delayed outcome than any wantaway player would prefer.

"This is about the demands of the game," said Amorim, when asked directly about Zirkzee and Mainoo. "The players understand it's only a phase.

"It isn't related to ability - and we have a many fixtures."