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

Prior to their visit to Forest, Manchester United had earned only eight points from deficit situations under their manager. They had failed to secure a single point from the past six games when they were losing since the match to AFC Bournemouth last April, when a last-minute goal snatched a draw.

When they went down at the stadium after conceding two goals in a short span, as Forest reversed a contentious first-half opener, Manchester United were staring down the barrel.

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

'If that game happened the previous campaign, do you believe it would have ended in defeat?'

The answer was equally emphatic.

"Yes, and by a larger margin, that is my feeling."

We can never know the reality. However, we do know that Amad Diallo showed why the coach picks him at defensive wing by scoring a sensational first-time volley from just outside the penalty area nine minutes from time to secure a draw.

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

The determination, the will, the refusal to give in are unquantifiables.

In this game, the manager believed his squad showed they have improved at that as well.

"Previously, if we had such a poor five minutes and we suffered two goals, we wouldn't bounce back," said Amorim. "Today is a different sensation. You can sense we could not triumph in the match but we are not going to lose. And that is a feeling a big team occasionally has to have."

Amorim didn't mention it, but the addition of Matheus Cunha and the winger probably made a difference.

The attacker is not the type to retreat from difficult situations, actually the opposite in fact. In the opening period, when he was booed by the home fans for what they felt was his gamesmanship, he reacted - instead of ignoring them - pointing to the crest on his kit.

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

The coach was asked precisely what had caused the psychological growth. Apart from saying the confidence gained from the previous three consecutive victories, he didn't really give an answer.

"The confidence, of course, is totally different," he stated. "We came from three good games and we have a different confidence. We understand each other better. We talk increased about these aspects.

"We proved this year we can experience bad moments but suddenly, we have three strong performances.

"We just need to be engaged in the game until the final 10 minutes. Previously, we could have collapsed completely the way we performed in the encounter. Today, the feeling was different."

Doubt Lingers Over Prospects of Zirkzee and the midfielder

If this was a occasion when United showed their resilience, it was additionally a moment that likely created the Dutch forward and the young midfielder even more unsure of their roles in Amorim's revamped Manchester United.

In his before the game press conference, the coach stated it was likely players who believe they are at danger of not making the international tournament 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 four Premier League cameo roles this season. For Mainoo, the number is over two hours from 7.

Not one has started a Premier League match this season and neither were they called upon to come off the bench at the City Ground, as United chased a way back into a game they were trailing in from the second half.

"We have a great deal of quality on the substitutes but sometimes I have the feeling if I'm going to disrupt the game all the time, I'm going to interrupt something," said Amorim. "We were improving during the later stages, so my feeling was not to change the setup with the guys in attack."

Mainoo had a agreement in progress to join 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 currently considering the idea of a return to Serie A.

The situation is made more complex by the absence of Mbeumo and the wing-back to the Africa Cup of Nations in the middle of December, a time which includes a few midweek games which will require a degree of rotation unseen before.

As the championship match is on January 18th, the duo should be back long before the transfer window closes on February 2nd - which may mean a delayed resolution than any eager to leave player would like.

"It is the characteristics of the game," said the coach, when asked directly about the forward and the midfielder. "The players understand it's only a phase.

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