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If you can't win, don't lose - as the proverb states.

Prior to their trip to Forest, Man Utd had secured just 8 points from deficit situations under their manager. They had failed to secure any from the past six matches when they found themselves behind since the match to Bournemouth last spring, when a last-minute effort snatched a draw.

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

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

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

The response was just as emphatic.

"Yes, and by a larger margin, I believe so."

We can never know the actual outcome. What we do know that the young player demonstrated why the coach picks him at wing-back by flashing home a brilliant volleyed strike from just outside the box nine minutes from time to secure a draw.

It has been obvious since the start of the season that United are performing at a higher level this term. 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 game, Amorim felt his squad demonstrated they have improved at that too.

"In the past, if we had this kind of bad short period and we suffered two goals, we wouldn't bounce back," stated the coach. "Now is a distinct sensation. It's evident we could not win this game but we are not going to lose. And that is a feeling a big team sometimes must possess."

Amorim didn't say it, but the addition of Matheus Cunha and the winger must have helped.

The attacker is not the type to retreat from challenging circumstances, quite the reverse indeed. In the first half, when he was jeered by the home fans for what they believed 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 player who will not give an opponent a moment's peace.

Amorim was questioned precisely what had caused the psychological growth. Beyond saying the self-belief gained from the prior three successive wins, he didn't really give an answer.

"Our self-belief, of course, is completely different," he stated. "We came from three positive performances and we have a newfound assurance. We understand each other better. We communicate increased about this.

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

"It's essential to remain inside the game until the last moments. Previously, we could have collapsed completely the way we played the encounter. Now, the impression was not that one."

Doubt Remains Over Prospects of Zirkzee and the midfielder

If this was a day when the team displayed their resilience, it was also a day that likely created the Dutch forward and the young midfielder even more uncertain of their futures in the manager's new-look Manchester United.

In his pre-match press conference, Amorim said it was possible members of the squad who believe they are at danger of missing the World Cup will request transfers in the winter transfer window.

It is fair to assume Zirkzee and the midfielder fit into that bracket. The forward has managed less than two full games from his 4 Premier League substitute appearances in the current campaign. For Mainoo, the total is 138 from 7.

Not one has begun a league match this season and neither were they asked to come off the bench at the City Ground, as the team sought a way back into a contest they were losing from the second half.

"We have a great deal of talent on the bench but sometimes I have the feeling if I'm going to disrupt the flow all the time, I'm going to interrupt something," explained Amorim. "Our performance was getting better during the second half, so my instinct was to avoid altering the setup with the players in attack."

The midfielder had a agreement in place to move to Napoli in the final stages of the summer window but the club would not approve a deal. The striker was coming back from a fitness issue but is currently open to the idea of a return to Serie A.

The situation is made more complex by the absence of the winger and Amad to the Africa Cup of Nations in the midst of the winter, a period which includes a few weekday matches which will demand a degree of squad changes unseen before.

Since the championship match is on 18 January, the pair should be back well before the signing period ends on February 2nd - which may mean a later outcome than any wantaway individual would prefer.

"It is the demands of the sport," said Amorim, when asked directly about Zirkzee and Mainoo. "They know it's temporary.

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