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When you cannot triumph, avoid defeat - so the old saying goes.

Prior to their visit to Forest, Man Utd had secured just eight points from deficit situations under their manager. They had not got any from the past six games when they were losing since the trip to Bournemouth last April, when a last-minute effort snatched a draw.

When they went down at the City Ground after conceding twice in a couple of minutes, as Forest overturned a controversial opening period goal, Manchester United were facing defeat.

The question to the manager after his side fought back to tie could not have been any clearer.

'If that game occurred last season, do you feel it would have ended in defeat?'

The response was just as decisive.

"Absolutely, and by more goals, in my opinion."

We can never know the reality. However, we do know that the young player demonstrated why the coach selects him at defensive wing by flashing home a sensational first-time volley from near the edge of the box late in the game to secure a point.

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

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

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

"Previously, if we had this kind of bad five minutes and we suffered 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 determined not to be defeated. And this represents a feeling a major club sometimes must possess."

Amorim didn't say it, but the addition of Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo likely contributed.

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

The forward is a constant threat, the epitome of a footballer who will never allow an opponent any rest.

The coach was questioned exactly what had caused the mental improvement. Beyond saying the self-belief generated from the prior three successive wins, he didn't really give an answer.

"The confidence, of course, is completely changed," he said. "We came from three positive performances and we have a newfound assurance. We understand each other more effectively. We talk more about this.

"We proved this season we can experience bad moments but then, we produce three good games.

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

Doubt Remains Regarding Prospects of Zirkzee and the midfielder

While this represented a occasion when the team displayed their resilience, it was additionally a moment that must have left Joshua Zirkzee and Kobbie Mainoo even more unsure of their futures in Amorim's revamped Manchester United.

In his pre-match press conference, Amorim stated it was likely players who think they are at danger of not making the World Cup will request transfers in the winter transfer window.

It is fair to assume Zirkzee and Mainoo fall into that bracket. Zirkzee has accumulated less than two full games from his 4 top-flight substitute appearances this season. For Mainoo, the total is 138 from seven.

Neither has begun a league match so far and nor were they called upon to be substituted on at the City Ground, as the team sought a way back into a contest they were trailing in from the 50th minute.

"Our squad includes a lot of talent on the substitutes but at times I have the feeling if I'm going to stop the game all the time, I'm going to interrupt something," said the manager. "We were improving during the later stages, so my instinct was not to change the setup with the guys in attack."

Mainoo had a deal in place to move to Napoli in the final stages of the transfer period but United would not approve a transfer. The striker was coming back from injury but is now open to the idea of a return to Italy.

The situation is complicated by the loss of Mbeumo and the wing-back to the Africa Cup of Nations in the midst of the winter, a period which features a couple of weekday matches which will require a level of rotation not previously needed.

As the championship match is on 18 January, the duo should be returned long before the signing period ends on February 2nd - which could result in a delayed resolution than any eager to leave individual would like.

"It is the characteristics of the game," commented Amorim, when questioned directly about the forward and the midfielder. "The players understand it's only a phase.

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