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

Prior to their visit to Nottingham Forest, Manchester United had gained merely 8 points from deficit situations under Ruben Amorim. They had failed to secure a single point from the previous six games when they found themselves behind since the trip to AFC Bournemouth last April, when a late goal secured a tie.

When they went down at the City Ground after conceding two goals in a short span, as Forest overturned a contentious first-half goal, United were staring down the barrel.

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

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

The answer was just as emphatic.

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

We can never know the reality. However, we do know that the young player showed why the coach picks him at defensive wing by flashing home a brilliant first-time volley from near the edge of the box nine minutes from time to earn a point.

It has been obvious since the beginning of the season that United are performing at a higher level this term. Since the start of October, they have also been getting better results.

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

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

"Previously, if we had such a poor five minutes and we suffered a couple of goals, we don't recover," stated Amorim. "Now is a different feeling. It's evident we could not triumph in this game but we are not going to lose. And that is a feeling a big team sometimes must possess."

Amorim didn't mention it, but the addition of Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo must have helped.

Cunha is not one to shy away from difficult situations, actually the opposite in fact. In the first half, when he was booed by the local supporters for what they felt was his gamesmanship, he reacted - rather than ignore it - gesturing toward the crest on his shorts.

The forward is a constant threat, the epitome of a player who will not give an opponent any rest.

The coach was questioned exactly what had led to the psychological growth. Apart from mentioning the self-belief gained from the previous three consecutive victories, 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 different assurance. The players comprehend each other better. We communicate increased about this.

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

"It's essential to remain inside the game until the final 10 minutes. Previously, we could have collapsed completely the way we performed in the game. Today, the feeling was not that one."

Doubt Remains Regarding Prospects of Zirkzee and Mainoo

If this was a occasion when the team showed their resilience, it was additionally a moment that likely created Joshua Zirkzee and the young midfielder increasingly uncertain of their futures in the manager's new-look squad.

In his before the game media briefing, the coach said it was possible players who think they are at danger of missing the international tournament will request transfers in the January transfer window.

It is fair to assume Zirkzee and the midfielder fit into that bracket. The forward has accumulated 82 minutes from his 4 top-flight substitute appearances in the current campaign. For the young player, the number is 138 from 7.

Neither has started a league match this season and neither were they asked to be substituted on at the stadium, as United sought a way back into a game they were trailing in from the second half.

"Our squad includes a lot of quality on the bench but sometimes I have the impression if I'm going to stop the flow constantly, I'm going to interrupt something," said Amorim. "We were improving during the second half, so my instinct was to avoid altering anything with the guys in front."

Mainoo had a agreement in place to join the Italian club in the last days of the transfer period but United would not approve a transfer. The striker was coming back from a fitness issue but is now considering the possibility of a return to Italy.

The circumstances is made more complex by the absence of Mbeumo and Amad to the continental tournament in the midst of the winter, a time which features a couple of midweek games which will demand a degree of squad changes not previously needed.

Since the championship match is on January 18th, the pair should be back long before the transfer window ends on February 2nd - which may mean a delayed resolution than any eager to leave individual would like.

"This is about the characteristics of the sport," commented the coach, when questioned directly about Zirkzee and Mainoo. "They know it's just a moment.

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