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

Prior to their trip to Nottingham Forest, Manchester United had earned merely 8 points from losing positions with Ruben Amorim. They had failed to secure a single point from the past six matches when they were losing since the trip to AFC Bournemouth last April, when a late effort secured a tie.

When they went down at the stadium after conceding twice in a couple of minutes, as Forest reversed a contentious opening period goal, United were in serious trouble.

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

Had that match occurred the previous campaign, do you feel you would have lost it?'

The answer was just as emphatic.

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

It's impossible to determine the actual outcome. 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 nine minutes from time to secure a draw.

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

The determination, the will, the refusal to give in are unquantifiables.

In this match, Amorim believed his squad showed they have got better at that too.

"In the past, if we had this kind of poor five minutes and we conceded a couple of goals, we wouldn't bounce back," said the coach. "Today is a distinct 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 occasionally must possess."

The manager didn't mention it, but the addition of the Brazilian forward and Bryan Mbeumo probably made a difference.

Cunha is not the type to retreat from challenging circumstances, quite the reverse indeed. In the first half, when he was booed by the home fans for what they felt was his gamesmanship, he reacted - instead of ignoring them - gesturing toward the badge on his shorts.

Mbeumo is a constant threat, the epitome of a player who will not give an opponent a moment's peace.

The coach was asked precisely what had caused the psychological growth. Apart from saying the confidence generated from the prior three successive wins, he didn't provide an answer.

"The confidence, of course, is completely different," he said. "Following three good games and we have a different confidence. We understand one another better. We communicate increased about these aspects.

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

"It's essential to be engaged in the game until the last moments. In the past, we could have lost everything the way we played the game. Now, the impression was different."

Uncertainty Lingers Regarding Futures of Zirkzee and Mainoo

If this was a day when United displayed their fighting spirit, it was also a day that likely created Joshua Zirkzee and the young midfielder increasingly unsure of their roles in Amorim's new-look squad.

In his before the game media briefing, the coach said it was likely members of the squad who think they are at risk of not making the international tournament will ask to leave in the winter transfer window.

It is fair to assume Zirkzee and the midfielder fall into that bracket. The forward has managed less than two full games from his four top-flight cameo roles in the current campaign. For the young player, the total is 138 from seven.

Neither has begun a league game so far and neither were they asked to come off the bench at the City Ground, as United chased a route to recovery into a contest they were trailing in from the 50th minute.

"We have a great deal of quality on the bench but at times I have the feeling if I'm going to stop the game all the time, I'm going to break something," explained Amorim. "Our performance was getting better during the later stages, so my feeling was to avoid altering the setup with the guys in attack."

Mainoo had a deal in progress to move to the Italian club in the last days of the transfer period but the club would not sanction a deal. Zirkzee was returning from injury but is now considering the possibility of a move back to Italy.

The situation is made more complex by the loss of the winger and the wing-back to the continental tournament in the middle of the winter, a period which includes a few midweek games which will demand a level of squad changes not previously needed.

Since the final is on 18 January, the pair are expected to be back long before the transfer window ends on February 2nd - which could result in a delayed outcome than what eager to leave player would like.

"It is the demands of the sport," said Amorim, when asked specifically about Zirkzee and Mainoo. "The players understand it's just a moment.

"It isn't related to quality - and we have a many games."