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When you cannot win, avoid defeat - according to traditional wisdom.

Before their visit to Forest, Manchester United had earned only eight points from deficit situations under their manager. They had failed to secure any from the previous six games when they found themselves behind since the trip to AFC Bournemouth last April, when a last-minute goal snatched a tie.

When they went down at the City Ground after letting in twice in a couple of minutes, as Forest reversed a contentious first-half opener, Manchester United were in serious trouble.

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

Had that match occurred last season, do you feel you would have lost it?'

The response was just as decisive.

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

It's impossible to determine the reality. However, we do know that Amad Diallo showed why the coach picks him at wing-back by flashing home a spectacular volleyed strike from just outside the penalty area late in the game to earn a draw.

It has been obvious since the start of the campaign that Manchester United are performing at a higher level this term. Since the start of autumn, they have also been achieving more positive outcomes.

The resolve, the desire, the unwillingness to surrender are unquantifiables.

In this match, Amorim felt his squad showed they have improved at that as well.

"Previously, if we had such a poor short period and we suffered two goals, we don't recover," said the coach. "Now is a different sensation. You can sense we could not win the match but we are determined not to be defeated. And that is a feeling a big team sometimes has to have."

Amorim didn't mention it, but the signing of Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo likely contributed.

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 gamesmanship, he reacted - instead of ignoring them - pointing to the crest on his shorts.

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

Amorim was questioned exactly what had led to the psychological growth. Beyond mentioning the confidence gained from the prior three consecutive victories, he didn't really give an explanation.

"Our self-belief, naturally, is totally changed," he said. "We came from three positive performances and we have a different confidence. We understand each other more effectively. We talk more about this.

"We proved this year we can experience bad moments but then, we produce three strong performances.

"We just need to be engaged in the game until the last moments. In the past, we could have lost everything the way we played the encounter. Now, the feeling was not that one."

Uncertainty Remains Over Prospects of Zirkzee and the midfielder

If this was a day when the team displayed their fighting spirit, it was additionally a moment that must have left Joshua Zirkzee and the young midfielder even more unsure of their roles in Amorim's revamped squad.

In his pre-match press conference, Amorim said it was likely members of the squad who think they are at risk of missing the international tournament will ask to leave in the winter transfer window.

One can reasonably conclude the striker and Mainoo fall into that bracket. The forward has managed 82 minutes from his four Premier League cameo roles this season. For Mainoo, the number is over two hours from seven.

Neither has started a Premier League match so far and nor were they asked to be substituted on at the stadium, as United chased a route to recovery into a contest they were trailing in from the 50th minute.

"Our squad includes a lot of quality on the bench but sometimes I have the feeling if I'm going to stop the flow all the time, I'm going to break something," explained the manager. "We were improving during the second half, so my feeling was not to change the setup with the guys in attack."

The midfielder had a deal in place to move to Napoli in the last days of the transfer period but the club would not sanction a transfer. Zirkzee was coming back from injury but is now considering the possibility of a return to Italy.

The situation is made more complex by the loss of the winger and Amad to the continental tournament in the middle of the winter, a period which features a couple of midweek games which will demand a level of rotation unseen before.

Since the final is on 18 January, the pair are expected to be returned long before the transfer window closes on February 2nd - which may mean a delayed resolution than what wantaway individual would prefer.

"This is about the characteristics of the game," said Amorim, when questioned directly about Zirkzee and the midfielder. "They know it's just a moment.

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