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If you can't win, avoid defeat - so the old saying goes.

Prior to their visit to Forest, Man Utd had secured just 8 points from deficit situations with Ruben Amorim. They had not got any from the previous six matches when they were losing since the trip to Bournemouth last April, when a last-minute goal snatched a draw.

When they went down at the stadium after letting in two goals in a couple of minutes, as Nottingham Forest reversed a disputed opening period goal, Manchester United were facing defeat.

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

Had that match occurred the previous campaign, do you believe it would have ended in defeat?'

The answer was just as forceful.

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

We can never know the reality. What we do know that the young player showed why Amorim selects him at defensive wing by flashing home a brilliant volleyed strike from just outside the penalty area nine minutes from time to secure a point.

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

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

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

"In the past, if we had this kind of bad five minutes and we suffered a couple of goals, we wouldn't bounce back," stated the coach. "Today is a different sensation. You can sense we might not win the match but we are determined not to be defeated. And that is a feeling a major club occasionally must possess."

The manager didn't say it, but the signing of Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo probably made a difference.

The attacker is not the type to retreat from difficult situations, quite the reverse 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 shorts.

Mbeumo is a hustle-bustle menace, the perfect example of a player who will not give an opponent a moment's peace.

Amorim was asked exactly what had led to the mental improvement. Beyond mentioning the confidence generated from the prior three consecutive victories, he didn't provide an explanation.

"The confidence, naturally, is totally changed," he stated. "We came from three positive performances and we have a newfound confidence. The players comprehend each other more effectively. We talk more about this.

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

"It's essential to be inside the game until the last moments. In the past, we could have lost everything the way we performed in the game. Today, the feeling was not that one."

Doubt Lingers Over Prospects of the striker and Mainoo

While this represented a day when the team displayed their fighting spirit, it was also a moment that likely created Joshua Zirkzee and the young midfielder increasingly unsure of their futures in the manager's new-look squad.

In his before the game press conference, the coach said it was possible players who think they are at danger of not making the World Cup will request transfers in the January signing period.

One can reasonably conclude the striker and the midfielder fall into that bracket. The forward has managed less than two full games from his 4 Premier League cameo roles in the current campaign. For the young player, the total is over two hours from 7.

Not one has begun a league match so far and nor were they called upon to be substituted on at the City Ground, as the team sought a way back into a contest they were trailing in from the 50th minute.

"Our squad includes a great deal of quality on the substitutes but sometimes I have the impression if I'm going to stop the game all the time, I'm going to break something," said the manager. "Our performance was getting better during the second half, so my feeling was not to change the setup with the players in attack."

The midfielder had a agreement in progress to move to Napoli in the final stages of the transfer period but the club would not approve a transfer. The striker was coming back from injury but is now open to the idea of a return to Italy.

The circumstances is made more complex by the loss of Mbeumo and Amad to the Africa Cup of Nations in the midst of the winter, a period which features a few weekday matches which will demand a level of rotation not previously needed.

As the final is on 18 January, the pair should be returned well before the transfer window closes on 2 February - which could result in a delayed outcome than what eager to leave individual would like.

"It is the demands of the sport," said Amorim, when asked specifically about Zirkzee and the midfielder. "The players understand it's temporary.

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