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

Before their trip to Forest, Manchester United had gained merely eight points from losing positions with Ruben Amorim. They had failed to secure any from the previous six matches when they trailed since the trip to Bournemouth last spring, when a late effort snatched a draw.

When they went down at the stadium after letting in twice in a couple of minutes, as Forest reversed a contentious opening period goal, Manchester United were staring down the barrel.

The inquiry to Amorim after his side recovered to tie could not have been more straightforward.

Had that match happened last season, do you feel it would have ended in defeat?'

The answer was equally decisive.

"Absolutely, and by more goals, I believe so."

It's impossible to determine the reality. What we do know that Amad Diallo showed why the coach selects him at defensive wing by scoring a brilliant first-time volley from near the edge of the box nine minutes from time to secure a draw.

It has been obvious since the start of the season that United are playing better this term. Since the beginning of autumn, they have also been getting better results.

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

In this game, Amorim believed his players showed they have improved at that too.

"In the past, if we had such a bad five minutes and we suffered a couple of goals, we wouldn't bounce back," stated the coach. "Today is a different sensation. You can sense we might not triumph in this game but we are not going to lose. And this represents a mindset a major club occasionally must possess."

Amorim didn't mention it, but the addition of the Brazilian forward and Bryan Mbeumo likely contributed.

The attacker is not one to shy away from challenging circumstances, on the contrary in fact. In the first half, when he was booed by the home fans for what they felt was his tactical play, he reacted - rather than ignore it - pointing to the badge on his kit.

Mbeumo is a energetic nuisance, the epitome of a footballer who will not give an rival a moment's peace.

The coach was questioned exactly what had led to the mental improvement. Apart from mentioning the self-belief generated from the previous three consecutive victories, he didn't provide an answer.

"The confidence, naturally, is totally changed," he said. "Following three good games and we have a newfound confidence. We understand one another better. We talk increased about these aspects.

"We demonstrated this year we can have bad moments but then, we have three strong performances.

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

Doubt Remains Regarding Futures of Zirkzee and Mainoo

While this represented a occasion when the team showed their resilience, it was also a day that must have left Joshua Zirkzee and the young midfielder increasingly unsure of their roles in Amorim's revamped squad.

In his pre-match media briefing, the coach said it was likely members of the squad who believe they are at danger of not making the international tournament will ask to leave in the January transfer window.

One can reasonably conclude Zirkzee and Mainoo fall into that bracket. The forward has managed 82 minutes from his 4 Premier League cameo roles this season. For Mainoo, the number is over two hours from 7.

Neither has started a Premier League game this season and neither were they asked to be substituted on at the stadium, as the team chased a route to recovery into a game they were losing from the 50th minute.

"We have a great deal of talent on the bench but at times I have the feeling if I'm going to stop the game constantly, I'm going to break something," said the manager. "Our performance was getting better during the later stages, so my feeling was to avoid altering anything with the players in front."

Mainoo had a agreement in place to move to Napoli in the final stages of the summer window but the club would not sanction a transfer. The striker was coming back from a fitness issue but is now open to the idea of a return to Serie A.

The circumstances is made more complex by the loss of Mbeumo and the wing-back to the continental tournament in the midst of December, a period which features a few midweek games which will require a degree of squad changes not previously needed.

Since the final is on 18 January, the pair are expected to be back well before the transfer window ends on 2 February - which may mean a delayed resolution than any wantaway individual would like.

"It is the demands of the game," commented the coach, when questioned specifically about the forward and the midfielder. "They know it's only a phase.

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