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When you cannot win, avoid defeat - as the proverb states.

Before their trip to Forest, Man Utd had earned merely eight points from losing positions under their manager. They had failed to secure a single point from the past six games when they found themselves behind since the match to Bournemouth last April, when a late goal snatched a tie.

When they were behind at the stadium after letting in twice in a couple of minutes, as Forest reversed a disputed opening period goal, United were facing defeat.

The inquiry to the manager after his side recovered to draw could not have been more direct.

'If that game happened the previous campaign, do you believe you would have lost it?'

The response was equally emphatic.

"Absolutely, and by a larger margin, in my opinion."

It's impossible to determine the reality. What we do know that Amad Diallo demonstrated why the coach selects him at wing-back by flashing home a brilliant first-time volley from near the edge of the penalty area nine minutes from time to secure a point.

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

The resolve, the desire, the refusal to give in are intangibles.

In this game, the manager believed his squad demonstrated they have improved at that as well.

"In the past, if we had this kind of bad five minutes and we conceded two goals, we don't recover," said Amorim. "Today is a different feeling. It's evident we could not triumph in this game but we are not going to lose. And this represents a feeling a big team sometimes must possess."

The manager didn't mention it, but the arrival of the Brazilian forward and the winger must have helped.

The attacker is not one to shy away from challenging circumstances, quite the reverse indeed. In the first half, when he was booed by the home fans for what they believed was his tactical play, he responded - rather than ignore it - pointing to the crest on his kit.

The forward is a hustle-bustle menace, the epitome of a player who will never allow an opponent any rest.

The coach was asked exactly what had caused the psychological growth. Apart from mentioning the self-belief generated from the previous three consecutive victories, he didn't provide an answer.

"Our self-belief, naturally, is completely different," he stated. "We came from three good games and we have a different assurance. The players comprehend each other better. We communicate more about these aspects.

"We proved this season we can have bad moments 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 lost everything the way we performed in the encounter. Today, the impression was not that one."

Doubt Remains Over Prospects of Zirkzee and Mainoo

While this represented a occasion when the team displayed their fighting spirit, it was also a moment that likely created the Dutch forward and Kobbie Mainoo increasingly uncertain of their roles in the manager's new-look squad.

In his before the game media briefing, the coach stated it was possible members of the squad who believe they are at danger of missing the international tournament will ask to leave in the winter signing period.

It is fair to assume the striker and Mainoo fall into that category. Zirkzee has managed 82 minutes from his 4 top-flight cameo roles in the current campaign. For the young player, the total is over two hours from seven.

Neither has begun 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 second half.

"Our squad includes a lot of quality on the substitutes but at times I have the feeling if I'm going to disrupt the game constantly, I'm going to break the rhythm," said the manager. "We were improving 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 join Napoli in the final stages of the transfer period but the club would not sanction a transfer. The striker was coming back from a fitness issue but is now open to the idea of a return to Italy.

The circumstances is complicated by the absence of Mbeumo and the wing-back to the Africa Cup of Nations in the midst of the winter, a period which features a few weekday matches which will demand a level of squad changes unseen before.

As the championship match is on January 18th, the duo are expected to be returned well before the transfer window ends on February 2nd - which could result in a later resolution than any eager to leave player would prefer.

"It is the characteristics of the game," commented the coach, when questioned directly about Zirkzee and the midfielder. "They know it's only a phase.

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