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When you cannot win, avoid defeat - as the proverb states.

Prior to their trip to Forest, Manchester United had gained merely 8 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 AFC Bournemouth last spring, when a late effort snatched a draw.

When they went down at the stadium after conceding twice in a couple of minutes, as Forest overturned a disputed first-half goal, Manchester United were staring down the barrel.

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

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

The answer was just as forceful.

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

It's impossible to determine the reality. However, we do know that Amad Diallo demonstrated why Amorim picks him at wing-back by scoring a sensational volleyed strike from near the edge of the box late in the game to earn a point.

It has been obvious since the start of the season that United are performing at a higher level this season. Since the start of autumn, they have additionally been getting better results.

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

In this game, the manager believed his players demonstrated they have improved at that as well.

"Previously, if we had this kind of bad short period and we suffered two goals, we don't recover," said the coach. "Now is a distinct sensation. You can sense we might not triumph in 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 the Brazilian forward and Bryan Mbeumo must have helped.

The attacker is not the type to retreat from challenging circumstances, actually the opposite in fact. In the first half, when he was booed by the local supporters for what they felt was his gamesmanship, he reacted - rather than ignore it - pointing to the crest on his shorts.

Mbeumo is a energetic nuisance, the perfect example of a player who will not give an rival a moment's peace.

The coach was asked precisely what had caused the mental improvement. Apart from saying the self-belief gained from the previous three successive wins, he didn't really give an explanation.

"Our self-belief, of course, is totally changed," he said. "We came from three positive performances and we have a different confidence. We understand one another better. We communicate increased about these aspects.

"We demonstrated this season we can have bad moments but suddenly, we have three strong performances.

"We just need to be inside the match until the final 10 minutes. In the past, we could have collapsed completely the way we played the encounter. Now, the feeling was different."

Uncertainty Lingers Regarding Prospects of Zirkzee and Mainoo

While this represented a occasion when the team showed their resilience, it was additionally a day that must have left Joshua Zirkzee and the young midfielder increasingly uncertain of their futures in Amorim's new-look Manchester United.

In his pre-match media briefing, the coach said it was likely members of the squad who believe they are at risk of missing the international tournament will ask to leave in the winter signing period.

It is fair to assume the striker and the midfielder fit into that category. Zirkzee has accumulated less than two full games from his four top-flight substitute appearances in the current campaign. For the young player, the total is 138 from seven.

Not one has started a Premier League match this season and nor were they called upon to be substituted on at the stadium, as United sought a way back into a contest they were trailing in from the second half.

"Our squad includes a lot of talent on the bench but sometimes I have the feeling if I'm going to stop the game constantly, I'm going to interrupt something," explained Amorim. "Our performance was getting better during the second half, so my feeling was not to change anything with the players in front."

Mainoo had a deal in place to move to the Italian club in the final stages of the transfer period but the club would not approve a transfer. Zirkzee was returning from a fitness issue but is currently open to the idea of a return to Italy.

The circumstances is complicated by the loss of the winger and the wing-back to the Africa Cup of Nations in the middle of the winter, a time which includes a couple of weekday matches which will demand a degree of squad changes not previously needed.

As the championship match is on January 18th, the pair are expected to be returned long before the transfer window closes on February 2nd - which may mean a delayed resolution than what eager to leave individual would prefer.

"This is about the characteristics of the game," commented Amorim, when questioned specifically about the forward and Mainoo. "They know it's temporary.

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