Head coach Ruben Amorim says that changing Man Utd's formation due to media scrutiny would have meant "the finish" for him.
Initially against Newcastle United, Amorim moved away from his trademark three-at-the-back formation with wide defenders and chose to deploy an orthodox four-man defense with two holding midfielders.
By his own admission this at times became a back six in the latter phase as his team dug in for a crucial result - securing only their second-ever shutout of the campaign.
Although he once notably remarked that even the highest authority could force him to change his system, Amorim asserts the capacity to utilize alternative formations has remained part of his long-term vision.
Nevertheless, he stresses he could only implement the change when his team were performing sufficiently well - otherwise it would look as if he was succumbing to external noise.
"At the time I arrived here last season, I understood maybe I don't have the players to perform effectively in that system, but it was the beginning of a journey," he said.
"The goal was to establish an philosophy. Now is a separate moment. We are missing a lot of players, and we need be flexible, so they see the reason we are making changes.
"This isn't because of the pressure of journalists, or the fans.
"When media discuss altering the formation constantly, I cannot change because the players will believe I'm altering things because of external voices and I feel that is the end for the manager.
"When we are getting results in our system, that becomes the right time to adapt.
"We will become a better team because when our full complement of personnel return, we are not intending to use a back three exclusively."
Availability Issues Loom Large
Having just two victories in eight games before defeating Newcastle, it is arguable whether Amorim is right to claim his team have been in good form.
He is, though, working with a injury-ravaged roster, with multiple senior stars already confirmed absent for the forthcoming fixture against winless Wolves.
That number will grow if playmaker Mason Mount fails to recover the injury that led to his exit from the Newcastle game at half-time.
Skipper Bruno Fernandes is a key name who will miss the Wolves match, despite the fact he is understood to be pushing his manager to let him to return after his muscle injury.
"Bruno is already telling me he has to train," revealed Amorim. "But there is absolutely no possibility he is going to feature against Wolves. Definitely not. That's definitive."
Fernandes' Influence Remains
Nevertheless, the 31-year-old will likely continue to be deeply engaged, as whereas most injured players view matches from a private box, Fernandes was spotted monitoring the warm-ups from the entrance of the tunnel before the Newcastle game.
Amorim anticipates his leader to continue providing insight.
"He is a leader," he declared. "He cannot be that guy that when he is not playing, he's not talking and speaking. He's always vocal. That is the reason he's the skipper.
"There are negative aspects at times - the way he gesticulates - but he has a lot of good things. After he recovers, he heads to watch the rest of the squad training. There are a lot of things that go unnoticed.
"I'm not sure if he wants my position or not, but he's a leader. He is a leader."
Recovery Schedule for Key Players
Although the specific timeline for the captain's comeback - and that of other unavailable stars like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - remains unknown, by the end of January, United will see the return of Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from international duty.
