Boss Ruben Amorim contends that switching Man Utd's formation due to public pressure would have signaled "his demise" for him.
For the first time against Newcastle United, Amorim ditched his trademark three-at-the-back setup with wide defenders and instead use an standard back four with two holding midfielders.
By his own admission this effectively became a back six in the closing stages as his team held on for a win - securing only their second-ever clean sheet of the season.
Despite he once memorably stated that even the highest authority could force him to change his system, Amorim insists the option to play with different setups has consistently been part of his plan.
However, he stresses he could only make the switch when his team were doing sufficiently well - lest it would appear as if he was giving in to outside pressure.
"At the time I arrived here the previous campaign, I realized perhaps I don't have the players to play well in a back three, but it was the start of a project," he commented.
"The goal was to establish an identity. Today is a different juncture. We lack a full complement of players, and we need be flexible, so they understand why we are changing.
"It is not because of the pressure of you guys, or the faithful.
"When the press talk about altering the formation constantly, I cannot make a change because the players will think I'm altering things because of external voices and I believe that is the end for the manager.
"Once we are performing strongly in our preferred setup, that becomes the opportunity to change.
"We will grow into a more complete team because when our full complement of players are back, we are not going to use three defenders in every match."
Injury Crisis Loom Large
Having only two victories in their last eight outings prior to beating Newcastle, it is debatable whether Amorim is accurate to claim his side have been in good form.
He is, however, managing with a injury-ravaged roster, with seven senior players already unavailable for the forthcoming home game against winless Wolves.
That number will rise if playmaker Mason Mount fails to shake off the injury that led to his exit from the Newcastle game at half-time.
Captain Bruno Fernandes is one of those who will miss the Wolves match, even though he is understood to be pressing his boss to allow him to make a comeback following his muscle injury.
"Fernandes is already saying he has to train," revealed Amorim. "However there is no chance he is going to feature against Wolves. No way. You can quote me on that."
The Captain's Leadership Endures
However, the 31-year-old will almost certainly continue to be heavily involved, as whereas most unavailable players view matches from a private box, Fernandes was observed monitoring the warm-ups from the mouth of the tunnel before the Newcastle game.
Amorim is sure his leader to carry on providing insight.
"He is a natural leader," he affirmed. "He must not be the type of player that when he is absent, he's not talking and offering advice. He's always speaking. That's why he's the captain.
"There are flaws at times - his mannerisms he moves his arms - but he has a lot of positive qualities. After he recovers, he heads to watch the rest of the squad training. There are a lot of things you don't see.
"I don't know if he wants my job or not, but he's a born leader. He is a true captain."
Return Schedule for Injured Players
While the specific date for the captain's return - and that of fellow unavailable stars like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - remains unclear, by the end of January, the club will welcome back Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from continental competition.
