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

Before their visit to Forest, Manchester United had earned only 8 points from deficit situations with their manager. They had not got a single point from the past six games when they were losing since the trip to Bournemouth last spring, when a last-minute effort snatched a draw.

When they were behind at the City Ground after letting in twice in a couple of minutes, as Nottingham Forest reversed a contentious first-half opener, United were staring down the barrel.

The question to Amorim after his side recovered to draw could not have been more direct.

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

The answer was equally forceful.

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

We can never know the actual outcome. However, we do know that Amad Diallo showed why Amorim picks him at wing-back by scoring a sensational volleyed strike from near the edge of the box nine minutes from time to earn a draw.

It has been obvious since the beginning of the season that Manchester United are playing better this season. 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 felt his players showed they have got better at that too.

"In the past, if we had this kind of poor short period and we suffered a couple of goals, we don't recover," stated Amorim. "Now is a different sensation. You can sense we could 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 say it, but the signing of the Brazilian forward and Bryan Mbeumo probably made a difference.

The attacker is not the type to retreat from difficult situations, actually the opposite in fact. In the first half, when he was booed by the home fans for what they felt was his tactical play, he responded - instead of ignoring them - pointing to the crest on his kit.

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

Amorim was questioned precisely what had led to the mental improvement. Apart from mentioning the confidence generated from the previous three consecutive victories, he didn't provide an answer.

"The confidence, naturally, is completely different," he stated. "Following three positive performances and we have a newfound confidence. The players comprehend each other more effectively. We talk more about this.

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

"It's essential to be engaged in the game until the last moments. In the past, we could have collapsed completely based on how we played the encounter. Today, the feeling was not that one."

Uncertainty Lingers Over Prospects of Zirkzee and the midfielder

While this represented a day when the team displayed their fighting spirit, it was also a day that must have left Joshua Zirkzee and the young midfielder even more unsure of their roles in Amorim's new-look Manchester United.

In his pre-match press conference, Amorim said it was likely players who think they are at danger of not making the international tournament will request transfers in the winter signing period.

One can reasonably conclude the striker and Mainoo fit into that category. Zirkzee has accumulated 82 minutes from his 4 top-flight substitute appearances this season. For Mainoo, the total is 138 from 7.

Not one has started a Premier League match this season and nor were they asked to be substituted on at the stadium, as United sought a route to recovery into a contest they were losing from the second half.

"Our squad includes a lot of talent 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," explained Amorim. "Our performance was getting better during the later stages, so my feeling was not to change anything with the guys in attack."

The midfielder had a deal in place to move to Napoli in the final stages of the summer window but United would not approve a deal. The striker was coming back from injury but is now considering the possibility of a return to Serie A.

The situation is made more complex by the absence of Mbeumo and the wing-back to the Africa Cup of Nations in the midst of December, a period which features a couple of midweek games which will demand a degree of rotation not previously needed.

Since the final is on 18 January, the pair are expected to be returned well before the transfer window closes on 2 February - which could result in a delayed outcome than what wantaway player would like.

"It is the characteristics of the game," said Amorim, when asked directly about the forward and Mainoo. "They know it's only a phase.

"It isn't related to quality - and we have a lot of fixtures."