{'A Distinct Sensation' - Did Man Utd Shown a Mentality Shift?

When you cannot win, avoid defeat - so the old saying goes.

Before their visit to Nottingham Forest, Man Utd had secured just eight points from deficit situations with their manager. They had failed to secure a single point from the past six matches when they trailed since the match to AFC Bournemouth last April, when a last-minute effort snatched a draw.

When they found themselves trailing at the stadium after letting in twice in a short span, as Forest reversed a disputed first-half opener, Manchester United were facing defeat.

The question to Amorim after his side fought back to tie could not have been any clearer.

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

The answer was just as emphatic.

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

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

It has been obvious since the beginning of the campaign 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 believed his squad showed they have improved at that as well.

"Previously, if we had this kind of poor five minutes and we conceded a couple of goals, we don't recover," said Amorim. "Now is a different sensation. It's evident we might not triumph in the match but we are determined not to be defeated. And that is a mindset a major club occasionally has to have."

Amorim didn't mention it, but the signing of Matheus Cunha and the winger must have helped.

The attacker is not one to shy away from challenging circumstances, actually the opposite in fact. In the first half, when he was booed by the home fans for what they believed was his gamesmanship, he reacted - instead of ignoring them - gesturing toward the badge on his shorts.

Mbeumo is a energetic nuisance, the epitome of a footballer who will not give an opponent a moment's peace.

Amorim was questioned precisely what had led to the psychological growth. Apart from mentioning the self-belief generated from the prior three successive wins, he didn't provide an answer.

"The confidence, naturally, is completely different," he stated. "We came from three positive performances and we have a different confidence. We understand one another better. We talk more about this.

"We demonstrated this season we can experience difficult periods but then, we have three good games.

"We just need to be inside the match until the last moments. In the past, we could have collapsed completely based on how we performed in the encounter. Now, the feeling was different."

Doubt Remains Over Prospects of Zirkzee and the midfielder

While this represented a occasion when United displayed their fighting spirit, it was also a day that must have left Joshua Zirkzee and Kobbie Mainoo increasingly uncertain of their futures in Amorim's new-look squad.

In his before the game press conference, Amorim stated it was likely players who believe they are at danger of missing the international tournament will ask to leave in the January transfer window.

It is fair to assume Zirkzee and Mainoo fall into that bracket. Zirkzee has accumulated less than two full games from his 4 Premier League cameo roles in the current campaign. For the young player, the number is 138 from seven.

Not one has begun a league match so far and nor were they asked to come off the bench at the City Ground, as the team sought a route to recovery into a game they were losing from the second half.

"We have a lot of quality on the bench but at times I have the impression if I'm going to disrupt the flow all the time, I'm going to interrupt something," said Amorim. "Our performance was getting better during the later stages, so my instinct was not to change anything with the players in front."

The midfielder had a deal in progress to move to Napoli in the last days of the transfer period but the club would not approve a transfer. The striker was returning from a fitness issue but is currently open to the idea 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 the winter, a time which features a couple of weekday matches which will demand a degree of squad changes not previously needed.

Since the championship match is on January 18th, the pair should be returned long before the signing period ends on February 2nd - which could result in a delayed resolution than any wantaway individual would prefer.

"It is the demands of the game," commented Amorim, when asked directly about Zirkzee and the midfielder. "The players understand it's only a phase.

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