{'A Unique Vibe' - Did Man Utd Shown a Attitude Transformation?

If you can't win, avoid defeat - according to traditional wisdom.

Prior to their journey to Nottingham Forest, Man Utd had secured merely 8 points from losing positions under their manager. They had not got a single point from the previous six matches when they found themselves behind since the match to Bournemouth last spring, when a late effort snatched a tie.

When they were behind at the stadium after conceding two goals in a couple of minutes, as Nottingham Forest overturned a controversial first-half goal, Manchester United were in serious trouble.

The question to the manager after his side fought back to tie could not have been more direct.

'If that game happened the previous campaign, do you feel you would have lost it?'

The response was just as forceful.

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

We can never know the actual outcome. What we do know that the young player demonstrated why Amorim selects him at wing-back by scoring a spectacular first-time volley from just outside the box nine minutes from time to earn a draw.

It's been clear since the beginning of the campaign 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 unwillingness to surrender are unquantifiables.

In this match, Amorim felt his players demonstrated they have got better at that as well.

"In the past, if we had this kind of bad five minutes and we conceded a couple of goals, we don't recover," stated the coach. "Now is a distinct sensation. It's evident we could not win the match but we are determined not to be defeated. And that is a feeling a major club sometimes must possess."

Amorim didn't mention it, but the signing of Matheus Cunha and the winger likely contributed.

Cunha is not the type to retreat from challenging circumstances, quite the reverse indeed. In the opening period, when he was jeered by the local supporters for what they believed was his gamesmanship, he reacted - rather than ignore it - pointing to the crest on his shorts.

Mbeumo is a hustle-bustle menace, the epitome of a player who will never allow an rival a moment's peace.

Amorim was questioned exactly what had caused the psychological growth. Beyond saying the self-belief gained from the previous three consecutive victories, he didn't really give an answer.

"Our self-belief, of course, is completely changed," he stated. "We came from three positive performances and we have a different confidence. We understand one another better. We talk more about these aspects.

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

"We just need to remain engaged in the game until the final 10 minutes. In the past, we could have lost everything based on how we performed in the encounter. Today, the feeling was different."

Doubt Remains Over Prospects of the striker and the midfielder

If this was a occasion when the team displayed their resilience, it was additionally a day that likely created the Dutch forward and the young midfielder even more uncertain of their futures in Amorim's revamped Manchester United.

In his pre-match media briefing, Amorim stated it was likely players who think they are at danger of missing the World Cup will request transfers in the winter transfer window.

It is fair to assume Zirkzee and Mainoo fit into that category. Zirkzee has managed 82 minutes from his four top-flight substitute appearances this season. For the young player, the number is 138 from 7.

Neither has started a Premier League match this season and nor were they called upon to be substituted on at the City Ground, as the team chased a way back into a contest they were losing from the second half.

"Our squad includes a great deal of quality on the bench but sometimes I have the impression if I'm going to disrupt the flow constantly, I'm going to interrupt the rhythm," said Amorim. "Our performance was getting better during the later stages, so my feeling was not to change the setup with the guys in front."

Mainoo had a agreement in progress to move to Napoli in the final stages of the transfer period but the club would not approve a deal. Zirkzee was coming back from a fitness issue but is currently open to the possibility of a move back to Serie A.

The situation is complicated 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 level of rotation unseen before.

As the final is on 18 January, the pair are expected to be back long before the transfer window ends on 2 February - which may mean a delayed resolution than what eager to leave player would prefer.

"This is about the demands of the game," said Amorim, when asked specifically about the forward and Mainoo. "The players understand it's just a moment.

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