Boss Ruben Amorim contends that changing Man Utd's formation due to public pressure would have been "the finish" for him.
For the first time against Newcastle, Amorim ditched his usual back three formation with wing-backs and opted to use an standard back four with two central midfielders.
Amorim acknowledged this effectively became a back six in the closing phase as his side dug in for a win - securing only their second-ever shutout of the campaign.
Despite he once famously stated that not even the Pope could pressure him to change his approach, Amorim asserts the capacity to experiment with different formations has remained part of his strategy.
Nevertheless, he emphasizes he could solely implement the change when his team were performing well enough - lest it would seem as if he was succumbing to external pressure.
"At the time I came here last season, I realized maybe I lacked the squad to perform effectively in that formation, but it was the commencement of a process," he commented.
"We were trying to establish an philosophy. Today is a different time. We are missing a lot of personnel, and we need be flexible, so they see the reason we are making changes.
"The change isn't because of the demands of journalists, or the fans.
"When the press talk about changing the system constantly, I cannot make a change because the squad will think I'm altering things because of you and I feel that is a disaster for the manager.
"Only when we are playing well in our preferred setup, that becomes the right time to evolve.
"We are going to develop into a stronger side because when our full complement of personnel are available, we are not planning to employ three defenders in every match."
Squad Challenges Persist
With just two victories in their last eight outings before beating Newcastle, it is arguable whether Amorim is correct to state his team have been playing well.
He is, however, managing with a severely stretched roster, with multiple first-team players already ruled out for the upcoming home game against struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers.
That total will increase if midfielder Mason Mount fails to shake off the knock that forced his exit from the Newcastle game at the interval.
Captain Bruno Fernandes is among those who will miss the Wolves match, despite the fact he is reportedly urging his manager to let him to return after his muscle problem.
"Fernandes is already insisting he has to practice," revealed Amorim. "However there is no chance he is going to feature against Wolves. No way. That's definitive."
Fernandes' Role Endures
However, the 31-year-old will probably still be deeply engaged, as while most unavailable players watch matches from the stands, Fernandes was seen monitoring the warm-ups from the entrance of the player's tunnel before the Newcastle game.
Amorim expects his captain to continue providing input.
"The guy is a natural leader," he stated. "He cannot be that guy that when he is not playing, he's not talking and speaking. He's constantly communicating. That's why he's the skipper.
"There are bad things sometimes - the way he moves his arms - but he has a lot of positive qualities. Even after he recovers, he heads to watch the other guys practicing. There are a lot of aspects you don't see.
"I'm not sure if he desires my job or not, but he's a born leader. He is a leader."
Recovery Schedule for Injured Players
Although the exact timeline for the captain's comeback - and that of other unavailable 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 continental competition.
