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

Before their trip to Forest, Manchester United had earned only eight points from losing positions under Ruben Amorim. They had not got any from the past six games when they were losing since the match to Bournemouth last spring, when a last-minute effort secured a tie.

When they were behind at the City Ground after conceding two goals in a couple of minutes, as Nottingham Forest reversed a contentious opening period goal, United were facing defeat.

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

'If that game happened last season, do you believe you would have lost it?'

The response was just as decisive.

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

It's impossible to determine the actual outcome. What we do know that Amad Diallo showed why Amorim selects him at defensive wing by flashing home a sensational first-time volley from just outside the box late in the game to earn a draw.

It has been obvious since the start of the campaign that United are performing at a higher level this season. Since the beginning of autumn, they have additionally been getting better results.

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

In this game, the manager felt his players demonstrated they have improved at that as well.

"In the past, if we had such a poor short period and we suffered a couple of goals, we don't recover," said the coach. "Today is a different feeling. It's evident we might not triumph in the match but we are not going to lose. And that is a feeling a major club sometimes has to have."

Amorim didn't say it, but the arrival of Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo must have helped.

The attacker is not the type to retreat from difficult situations, on the contrary in fact. In the first half, when he was booed by the home fans for what they believed was his tactical play, he reacted - instead of ignoring them - gesturing toward the crest on his kit.

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

Amorim was questioned exactly what had caused the psychological growth. Apart from mentioning the self-belief generated from the prior three successive wins, he didn't provide an explanation.

"Our self-belief, naturally, is totally different," he said. "Following three positive performances and we have a different assurance. The players comprehend each other better. We talk increased about this.

"We proved this year we can have bad moments but then, we have three good games.

"We just need to be inside the game until the final 10 minutes. In the past, we could have collapsed completely the way we performed in the game. Today, the feeling was not that one."

Uncertainty Lingers Regarding Futures of Zirkzee and the midfielder

While this represented a day when United showed their resilience, it was also a moment that must have left the Dutch forward and Kobbie Mainoo even more unsure of their futures in Amorim's new-look squad.

In his before the game press conference, Amorim said it was possible members of the squad who believe they are at danger of not making the international tournament will ask to leave in the January signing period.

One can reasonably conclude the striker and Mainoo fall into that bracket. Zirkzee has managed less than two full games from his four top-flight cameo roles in the current campaign. For Mainoo, the number is 138 from seven.

Neither has started a Premier League game so far and neither were they called upon to be substituted on at the City Ground, as United sought a way back into a game they were losing from the 50th minute.

"Our squad includes a lot of quality on the substitutes but at times I have the impression if I'm going to disrupt the game all the time, I'm going to break something," explained the manager. "Our performance was getting better during the second half, so my instinct was not to change anything with the players in front."

The midfielder had a agreement in place to join the Italian club in the final stages of the transfer period but the club would not approve a deal. The striker was coming back from a fitness issue but is currently considering the possibility of a return to Italy.

The circumstances is made more complex by the absence of the winger and Amad to the continental tournament in the midst of the winter, a time which features a couple of midweek games which will demand a level of squad changes unseen before.

Since the championship match is on 18 January, the pair are expected to be returned well before the signing period closes on February 2nd - which could result in a delayed resolution than any eager to leave individual would prefer.

"This is about the demands of the sport," commented Amorim, when questioned directly about Zirkzee and Mainoo. "They know it's just a moment.

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