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

Before their visit to Forest, Man Utd had secured just 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 April, when a late goal secured a draw.

When they were behind at the stadium after letting in two goals in a couple of minutes, as Forest overturned a disputed first-half opener, Manchester United were staring down the barrel.

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

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

The response was equally decisive.

"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 spectacular first-time volley from just outside the box late in the game to secure a point.

It's been clear since the beginning of the season that Manchester United are playing better this term. Since the beginning of October, they have additionally been getting better results.

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

In this game, the manager believed his squad demonstrated they have improved at that too.

"In the past, if we had this kind of bad short period and we suffered a couple of goals, we wouldn't bounce back," stated Amorim. "Now is a distinct feeling. It's evident we could not win this game but we are not going to lose. And this represents a mindset a big team sometimes has to have."

The manager didn't say it, but the signing of Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo probably made a difference.

The attacker is not the type to retreat from difficult situations, on the contrary indeed. In the opening period, when he was booed by the local supporters for what they believed was his tactical play, he reacted - instead of ignoring them - pointing to the badge on his kit.

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

Amorim was questioned precisely what had caused the psychological growth. Beyond mentioning the confidence gained from the prior three consecutive victories, he didn't provide an explanation.

"The confidence, naturally, is completely different," he said. "We came from three good games and we have a different assurance. The players comprehend one another better. We talk more about these aspects.

"We proved this season we can have difficult periods but then, we have three strong performances.

"We just need to be inside the game until the final 10 minutes. Previously, we could have lost everything based on how we played the game. Now, the impression was not that one."

Uncertainty Remains Over Futures of Zirkzee and the midfielder

While this represented a day when United displayed their resilience, it was additionally a day that likely created Joshua Zirkzee and Kobbie Mainoo increasingly uncertain of their roles in the manager's new-look squad.

In his before the game press conference, the coach stated it was likely players who believe they are at danger of not making the international tournament will ask to leave in the winter transfer window.

One can reasonably conclude the striker and Mainoo fall into that category. Zirkzee has managed 82 minutes from his 4 top-flight substitute appearances in the current campaign. For Mainoo, the total is 138 from 7.

Neither has begun a Premier League match this season and nor were they called upon to be substituted on at the stadium, as the team sought a route to recovery into a contest they were trailing in from the 50th minute.

"We have a lot of talent on the bench but at times I have the impression if I'm going to stop the flow all the time, I'm going to break something," said Amorim. "Our performance was getting better during the later stages, so my instinct was to avoid altering the setup with the players in attack."

The midfielder had a deal in place to move to the Italian club in the last days of the summer window but United would not approve a deal. The striker was returning from a fitness issue but is now open to the possibility of a move back to Serie A.

The circumstances is complicated by the absence of Mbeumo and Amad to the continental tournament in the middle of the winter, a period which features a couple of weekday matches which will require a level of squad changes unseen before.

Since the final is on January 18th, the duo should be back well before the transfer window ends on February 2nd - which could result in a later outcome than what eager to leave player would prefer.

"This is about the demands of the sport," said Amorim, when asked specifically about the forward and the midfielder. "The players understand it's only a phase.

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