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When you cannot triumph, don't lose - according to traditional wisdom.

Before their trip to Forest, Manchester United had secured just eight points from losing positions with Ruben Amorim. They had failed to secure a single point from the past six matches when they found themselves behind since the match to AFC Bournemouth last April, when a last-minute effort snatched a tie.

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

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

'If that game happened the previous campaign, do you feel you would have lost it?'

The answer was equally emphatic.

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

It's impossible to determine the actual outcome. However, we do know that the young player demonstrated why the coach selects him at wing-back by flashing home a spectacular volleyed strike from just outside the penalty area nine minutes from time to earn a draw.

It's been clear since the beginning of the campaign that Manchester United are playing better this term. Since the beginning of autumn, they have also been achieving more positive outcomes.

The determination, the desire, the refusal to give in are intangibles.

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

"Previously, if we had such a poor short period and we conceded a couple of goals, we wouldn't bounce back," stated the coach. "Today is a different feeling. You can sense we could not win the match but we are not going to lose. And this represents a mindset a major club occasionally has to have."

Amorim didn't say it, but the signing of the Brazilian forward and the winger probably made a difference.

Cunha is not one to shy away from challenging circumstances, on the contrary in fact. In the opening period, when he was jeered by the home fans for what they believed was his gamesmanship, he reacted - instead of ignoring them - pointing to the crest on his shorts.

The forward is a constant threat, the perfect example of a player who will not give an rival any rest.

The coach was questioned precisely what had caused the psychological growth. Apart from saying the self-belief generated from the prior three successive wins, he didn't really give an explanation.

"The confidence, of course, is totally different," he said. "Following three positive performances and we have a different confidence. We understand each other better. We communicate more about this.

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

"It's essential to remain inside the game until the final 10 minutes. Previously, we could have lost everything based on how we performed in the encounter. Now, the impression was not that one."

Doubt Lingers Over Futures of the striker and the midfielder

If this was a day when the team showed their fighting spirit, it was additionally a day that likely created Joshua Zirkzee and the young midfielder increasingly unsure of their futures in Amorim's revamped Manchester United.

In his pre-match press conference, the coach said it was possible members of the squad who think they are at danger of missing the international tournament will request transfers in the winter signing period.

One can reasonably conclude Zirkzee and Mainoo fit into that bracket. The forward has managed less than two full games from his 4 top-flight substitute appearances this season. For the young player, the number is over two hours from 7.

Not one has started a Premier League game this season and neither were they called upon to be substituted on at the stadium, as United sought a route to recovery into a game they were losing from the second half.

"Our squad includes a great deal of quality on the bench but sometimes I have the impression if I'm going to stop the flow constantly, I'm going to break the rhythm," said the manager. "Our performance was getting better during the later stages, so my feeling was not to change anything with the guys in front."

The midfielder had a agreement in progress to join Napoli in the last days of the summer window but United would not approve a transfer. The striker was coming back from a fitness issue but is now open to the possibility of a return to Serie A.

The circumstances is complicated by the loss of Mbeumo and Amad to the continental tournament in the middle of December, a time which includes a few midweek games which will require a degree of rotation unseen before.

Since the final is on January 18th, the pair should be back long before the transfer window closes on February 2nd - which may mean a delayed resolution than any wantaway individual would like.

"This is about the characteristics of the sport," said the coach, when questioned specifically about the forward and Mainoo. "They know it's temporary.

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