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If you can't win, don't lose - as the proverb states.

Prior to their trip to Nottingham Forest, Man Utd had earned merely eight points from losing positions under their manager. They had not got a single point from the past six matches when they were losing since the match to AFC Bournemouth last April, when a last-minute effort secured a draw.

When they went down at the City Ground after conceding two goals in a short span, as Nottingham Forest overturned a contentious opening period opener, Manchester United were staring down the barrel.

The question to Amorim after his side recovered to tie could not have been any clearer.

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

The answer was equally decisive.

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

We can never know the actual outcome. What we do know that Amad Diallo showed why the coach picks him at wing-back by flashing home a brilliant first-time volley from just outside the penalty area late in the game to earn a point.

It's been clear since the start of the campaign that Manchester United are performing at a higher level this season. Since the start of autumn, they have additionally been achieving more positive outcomes.

The determination, the desire, the unwillingness to surrender are intangibles.

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

"Previously, if we had this kind of bad five minutes and we conceded two goals, we wouldn't bounce back," said the coach. "Now is a distinct feeling. It's evident we could not triumph in this game but we are not going to lose. And that is a mindset a big team sometimes has to have."

The manager didn't say it, but the addition of the Brazilian forward and the winger likely contributed.

Cunha is not the type to retreat from challenging circumstances, actually the opposite in fact. In the first half, when he was jeered by the home fans for what they believed was his gamesmanship, he responded - instead of ignoring them - pointing to the badge on his shorts.

The forward is a hustle-bustle menace, the perfect example of a player who will not give an opponent any rest.

The coach was questioned precisely what had led to the mental improvement. Beyond mentioning the self-belief generated from the previous three successive wins, he didn't provide an explanation.

"Our self-belief, of course, is completely different," he stated. "We came from three good games and we have a newfound confidence. The players comprehend one another better. We communicate increased about these aspects.

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

"We just need to remain engaged in the game until the last moments. In the past, we could have lost everything the way we performed in the game. Today, the impression was different."

Doubt Remains Over Prospects of the striker and the midfielder

While this represented a day when United displayed their fighting spirit, it was also a day that must have left Joshua Zirkzee and Kobbie Mainoo increasingly uncertain of their futures in the manager's revamped Manchester United.

In his before the game press conference, Amorim stated it was possible members of the squad who think they are at danger of missing the World Cup will ask to leave in the January transfer window.

It is fair to assume the striker and the midfielder fall into that category. The forward has accumulated less than two full games from his 4 Premier League substitute appearances this season. For Mainoo, the number is 138 from seven.

Not one has started a Premier League game so far and neither were they called upon to come off the bench at the City Ground, as United chased a route to recovery into a contest they were losing from the second half.

"We have a great deal of talent on the bench but at times I have the impression if I'm going to disrupt the flow constantly, I'm going to break the rhythm," explained the manager. "Our performance was getting better during the later stages, so my feeling was to avoid altering the setup with the guys in front."

The midfielder had a agreement in progress to join the Italian club in the final stages of the summer window but the club would not sanction a deal. The striker was coming back from injury but is currently open to the idea of a move back to Serie A.

The circumstances is complicated by the loss of the winger and Amad to the Africa Cup of Nations in the middle of December, a time which includes a couple of weekday matches which will demand a level of rotation unseen before.

As the championship match is on 18 January, the duo should be returned long before the transfer window closes on February 2nd - which may mean a later outcome than what eager to leave player would like.

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

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