🔗 Share this article

When you cannot triumph, don't lose - so the old saying goes.

Before their trip to Forest, Man Utd had earned only 8 points from deficit situations with their manager. They had not got a single point from the previous six matches when they found themselves behind since the trip to AFC Bournemouth last April, when a late goal snatched a tie.

When they were behind at the stadium after letting in twice in a couple of minutes, as Forest reversed a controversial opening period goal, Manchester United were in serious trouble.

The question to Amorim after his side recovered to tie could not have been more direct.

'If that game occurred last season, do you feel you would have lost it?'

The answer was equally emphatic.

"Yes, and by more goals, that is my feeling."

It's impossible to determine the actual outcome. What we do know that the young player demonstrated why the coach selects him at wing-back by scoring a spectacular first-time volley from near the edge of the penalty area nine minutes from time to earn a draw.

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

The determination, the will, the unwillingness to surrender are unquantifiables.

In this match, the manager felt his players demonstrated they have improved at that too.

"Previously, if we had this kind of bad five minutes and we suffered a couple of goals, we don't recover," said the coach. "Today is a distinct feeling. It's evident we might not win the match but we are not going to lose. And that is a mindset a big team sometimes must possess."

Amorim didn't mention it, but the signing of Matheus Cunha and the winger must have helped.

Cunha is not one to shy away from challenging circumstances, quite the reverse in fact. In the opening period, 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 shorts.

The forward is a hustle-bustle menace, the perfect example of a footballer who will never allow an opponent a moment's peace.

Amorim was asked exactly what had caused the mental improvement. Apart from saying the self-belief gained from the prior three successive wins, he didn't provide an answer.

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

"We demonstrated this year we can experience bad moments but suddenly, we produce three good games.

"It's essential to remain engaged in 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."

Doubt Remains Over Futures of the striker and the midfielder

While this represented a day when the team showed their resilience, it was also a moment that must have left the Dutch forward and the young midfielder increasingly uncertain of their futures in the manager's new-look Manchester United.

In his pre-match press conference, Amorim stated it was possible players who think they are at risk 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 category. Zirkzee 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 begun a league game so far and nor were they called upon to come off the bench at the City Ground, as the team chased a way back into a contest they were losing from the 50th minute.

"Our squad includes a great deal of talent on the substitutes but at times I have the impression if I'm going to stop the flow all the time, I'm going to interrupt the rhythm," said the manager. "Our performance was getting better during the later stages, so my instinct was to avoid altering anything with the players in attack."

Mainoo had a agreement in place to join Napoli in the last days of the summer window but the club would not sanction a deal. The striker was coming back from injury but is now open to the possibility of a move back to Serie A.

The situation is complicated by the loss of the winger and the wing-back to the Africa Cup of Nations in the midst of the winter, a time which features a couple of midweek games which will require a level of squad changes not previously needed.

Since the championship match is on 18 January, the duo should be back well before the transfer window ends on 2 February - which could result in a delayed resolution than any wantaway individual would prefer.

"It is the demands of the sport," commented Amorim, when asked directly about Zirkzee and the midfielder. "They know it's just a moment.

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