Head coach Ruben Amorim argues that switching Man Utd's formation due to external noise would have been "the end" for him.
In a first against Newcastle United, Amorim abandoned his trademark three-at-the-back formation with wide defenders and opted to deploy an traditional four-man defense with two central midfielders.
By his own admission this at times functioned as a six-man defensive block in the latter minutes as his team clung on for a victory - securing only their second shutout of the campaign.
Despite he once memorably stated that even the Pope could pressure him to change his approach, Amorim maintains the option to utilize varied setups has always been part of his plan.
Yet, he clarifies he could only implement the change when his team were performing at an acceptable level - or else it would look as if he was bowing to outside criticism.
"When I came here the previous campaign, I understood perhaps I lacked the players to excel in that formation, but it was the beginning of a process," he stated.
"Our aim was to build an identity. Today is a distinct moment. We don't have a lot of players, and we need adapt, so they see why we are making changes.
"It is not because of the demands of the media, or the faithful.
"When you criticize changing the formation all the time, I can't make a change because the squad will think I'm altering things because of external voices and I feel that is a disaster for the manager.
"When we are playing well in our preferred setup, that becomes the right time to change.
"This will help us grow into a stronger side because when all the personnel are back, we are not planning to play with three defenders all the time."
Squad Issues Persist
With just two wins in their last eight outings before beating Newcastle, it is arguable whether Amorim is correct to say his side have been playing well.
He is, however, managing with a severely stretched roster, with multiple first-team players already confirmed absent for the upcoming fixture against winless Wolverhampton Wanderers.
That figure will grow if midfielder Mason Mount fails to recover the knock that forced his exit from the Newcastle game at half-time.
Captain Bruno Fernandes is among those who will miss the Wolves match, even though he is understood to be pressing his manager to allow him to make a comeback after his muscle problem.
"Bruno is already saying he needs to train," revealed Amorim. "But there is no chance he is going to feature against Wolves. No way. You can quote me on that."
Fernandes' Leadership Endures
Nevertheless, the Portuguese star will likely still be heavily involved, as whereas most unavailable players watch matches from the stands, Fernandes was spotted monitoring the warm-ups from the entrance of the tunnel before the Newcastle game.
Amorim anticipates his captain to continue providing input.
"The guy is a natural leader," he affirmed. "He cannot be the type of player that when he is not playing, he's not talking and speaking. He's always communicating. That is the reason he's the skipper.
"He has flaws sometimes - the way he moves his arms - but he has a lot of good things. Even after he recovers, he heads to watch the rest of the squad training. There are a lot of things that go unnoticed.
"I don't know if he desires my position or not, but he's a born leader. He is a true captain."
Return Schedule for Key Personnel
Although the precise timeline for the captain's return - and that of fellow unavailable stars like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - is unknown, by the end of January, United will see the return of Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from international competition.
