Head coach Ruben Amorim contends that changing Man Utd's formation due to external pressure would have signaled "the end" for him.
For the first time against Newcastle United, Amorim abandoned his usual three-at-the-back formation with wing-backs and opted to use an traditional back four with two holding midfielders.
Amorim acknowledged this effectively functioned as a back six in the closing phase as his team clung on for a crucial result - securing just their second-ever clean sheet of the campaign.
Although he once notably remarked that not even the Pope could pressure him to tweak his system, Amorim asserts the ability to play with alternative setups has consistently been part of his strategy.
However, he emphasizes he could solely implement the change when his team were doing sufficiently well - or else it would appear as if he was giving in to outside criticism.
"When I arrived here last season, I recognized maybe I didn't possess the players to perform effectively in that system, but it was the commencement of a process," he stated.
"We were trying to build an identity. Now is a distinct moment. We lack a lot of players, and we have to adjust, so they see the reason we are switching things up.
"It is not because of the influence of journalists, or the fans.
"When you discuss changing the formation all the time, I cannot make a change because the players will believe I'm altering things because of external voices and I think that is a disaster for the coach.
"Once we are performing strongly in our system, then is the right time to change.
"We are going to become a more complete squad because when all the players are back, we are not intending to play with a back three exclusively."
Squad Issues Loom Large
Having just two victories in their last eight outings prior to defeating Newcastle, it is debatable whether Amorim is accurate to claim his side have been in good form.
He is, though, operating with a injury-ravaged roster, with multiple first-team stars already ruled out for the upcoming fixture against winless Wolves.
That figure will increase if playmaker Mason Mount fails to recover the injury that led to his exit from the Newcastle game at the interval.
Captain Bruno Fernandes is a key name who will miss the Wolves clash, even though he is reportedly pressing his manager to let him to make a comeback after his hamstring injury.
"Fernandes is already saying he needs to practice," revealed Amorim. "But there is absolutely no possibility he is going to feature against Wolves. No way. That's definitive."
The Captain's Leadership Remains
However, the 31-year-old will probably still be a prominent presence, as whereas most unavailable stars watch matches from the stands, Fernandes was observed monitoring the warm-ups from the mouth of the tunnel before the Newcastle game.
Amorim expects his leader to continue providing input.
"He is a natural leader," he declared. "He must not be the type of player that when he is absent, he's not talking and speaking. He's always speaking. That is the reason he's the captain.
"There are flaws sometimes - his mannerisms he moves his arms - but he has a multitude of good things. After he recovers, he heads to observe the rest of the squad training. There are a many aspects that go unnoticed.
"I don't know if he desires my position or not, but he's a born leader. The guy is a true captain."
Recovery Schedule for Key Personnel
Although the exact timeline for the captain's return - and that of fellow injured stars like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - is unclear, by the end of January, the club will see the return of Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from international competition.
