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

Before their journey to Nottingham Forest, Man Utd had earned just eight points from losing positions with Ruben Amorim. They had failed to secure a single point from the previous six matches when they found themselves behind since the match to AFC Bournemouth last spring, when a last-minute goal snatched a draw.

When they went down at the stadium after conceding twice in a short span, as Nottingham Forest reversed a controversial first-half opener, Manchester United were facing defeat.

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

Had that match occurred last season, do you feel you would have lost it?'

The answer was equally emphatic.

"Yes, and by a larger margin, in my opinion."

We can never know the reality. What we do know that the young player demonstrated why Amorim picks him at defensive wing by scoring a brilliant volleyed strike from near the edge of the penalty area late in the game to secure a draw.

It has been obvious since the start of the season that United are performing at a higher level this term. Since the start of autumn, they have also been achieving more positive outcomes.

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

In this game, the manager felt his squad showed they have got better at that too.

"In the past, if we had such a poor five minutes and we suffered two goals, we don't recover," said Amorim. "Today is a different sensation. You can sense we could not win this game but we are not going to lose. And that is a feeling a big team occasionally must possess."

The manager didn't say it, but the addition of the Brazilian forward and Bryan Mbeumo must have helped.

Cunha 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 felt was his gamesmanship, he responded - rather than ignore it - pointing to the badge on his kit.

The forward is a energetic nuisance, the epitome of a player who will not give an opponent any rest.

Amorim was asked precisely what had caused the mental improvement. Beyond saying the self-belief generated from the prior three consecutive victories, he didn't provide an explanation.

"The confidence, naturally, is completely different," he stated. "We came from three good games and we have a newfound assurance. The players comprehend one another better. We communicate increased about this.

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

"We just need to be engaged in the match until the final 10 minutes. Previously, we could have lost everything based on how we performed in the encounter. Today, the impression was different."

Doubt Remains Over Prospects of Zirkzee and Mainoo

If this was a day when the team showed their fighting spirit, it was additionally a day that must have left the Dutch forward and Kobbie Mainoo increasingly uncertain of their futures in Amorim's revamped Manchester United.

In his pre-match media briefing, Amorim stated it was possible members of the squad who believe they are at risk of missing the international tournament will ask to leave in the winter signing period.

One can reasonably conclude the striker and Mainoo fit into that bracket. The forward has managed 82 minutes from his four Premier League substitute appearances in the current campaign. For Mainoo, the total is 138 from seven.

Neither has begun a Premier League game this season and nor were they asked to be substituted on at the City Ground, as United chased a route to recovery into a contest they were losing from the second half.

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

Mainoo had a deal in progress to move to Napoli in the last days of the transfer period but the club would not approve a deal. Zirkzee was returning from injury but is now open to the possibility of a return to Serie A.

The situation is made more complex by the loss of the winger and the wing-back to the continental tournament in the midst of December, a time which includes a couple of midweek games which will demand a degree of squad changes not previously needed.

Since the final is on 18 January, the pair are expected to be returned well before the signing period ends on February 2nd - which may mean a delayed resolution than what eager to leave player would prefer.

"This is about the characteristics of the sport," commented Amorim, when questioned specifically about the forward and Mainoo. "The players understand it's temporary.

"It isn't related to ability - and we have a many fixtures."