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If you can't win, avoid defeat - as the proverb states.

Prior to their trip to Nottingham Forest, Manchester United had secured just eight points from deficit situations under their manager. They had failed to secure any from the previous six matches when they found themselves behind since the trip to AFC Bournemouth last April, when a last-minute goal snatched a draw.

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

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

Had that match happened last season, do you believe you would have lost it?'

The response was just as forceful.

"Absolutely, and by more goals, that is my feeling."

It's impossible to determine the actual outcome. What we do know that the young player demonstrated why Amorim picks him at wing-back by scoring a spectacular 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 United are performing at a higher level this term. Since the beginning of October, they have also been getting better results.

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

In this match, Amorim felt his players showed they have got better at that as well.

"Previously, if we had this kind of bad short period and we conceded two goals, we don't recover," said the coach. "Now is a different sensation. You can sense we might not win this game but we are determined not to be defeated. And this represents a mindset a big team sometimes has to have."

Amorim didn't mention it, but the arrival of Matheus Cunha and the winger probably made a difference.

Cunha is not the type to retreat from difficult situations, quite the reverse indeed. In the first half, when he was jeered by the home fans for what they felt was his tactical play, he reacted - rather than ignore it - gesturing toward the badge on his kit.

The forward is a hustle-bustle menace, the epitome of a footballer who will not give an opponent a moment's peace.

The coach was asked exactly what had led to the mental improvement. Apart from saying the self-belief gained from the prior three consecutive victories, he didn't really give an answer.

"The confidence, naturally, is completely different," he stated. "Following three good games and we have a different confidence. The players comprehend one another more effectively. We communicate increased about these aspects.

"We proved this season we can have difficult periods but suddenly, we have three good games.

"We just need to be inside the match until the final 10 minutes. In the past, we could have collapsed completely based on how we performed in the encounter. Now, the feeling was not that one."

Uncertainty Lingers Regarding Prospects of Zirkzee and Mainoo

If this was a day when United showed their resilience, it was additionally a day that must have left the Dutch forward and Kobbie Mainoo increasingly uncertain of their roles in the manager's new-look squad.

In his pre-match press conference, the coach stated it was likely members of the squad who believe they are at risk of missing the World Cup will ask to leave in the January transfer window.

One can reasonably conclude Zirkzee and the midfielder fall into that category. Zirkzee has managed less than two full games from his four Premier League substitute appearances in the current campaign. For the young player, the number is 138 from 7.

Neither has started a league match so far and nor 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.

"We have a lot of quality on the bench but sometimes I have the impression if I'm going to disrupt the flow all the time, I'm going to break something," said Amorim. "We were improving during the second half, so my instinct was to avoid altering anything with the guys in attack."

The midfielder had a agreement in progress to move to the Italian club in the final stages of the summer window but United would not sanction a deal. Zirkzee was coming back from a fitness issue but is now open to the idea of a return to Serie A.

The situation is made more complex by the loss of the winger and Amad to the Africa Cup of Nations in the middle of the winter, a period which features a few weekday matches which will require a degree of squad changes not previously needed.

Since the championship match is on 18 January, the pair are expected to be back well before the signing period closes on February 2nd - which could result in a later resolution than any eager to leave individual would prefer.

"It is the characteristics of the sport," commented Amorim, when asked specifically about Zirkzee and Mainoo. "The players understand it's temporary.

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