Head coach Ruben Amorim contends that changing Manchester United's tactical system due to public noise would have signaled "the end" for him.
Initially against Newcastle, Amorim moved away from his trademark three-at-the-back formation with wide defenders and opted to deploy an standard four-man defense with two central midfielders.
By his own admission this ultimately transformed into a back six in the final phase as his team held on for a win - securing just their second-ever clean sheet of the season.
Despite he once memorably stated that even the highest authority could force him to tweak his approach, Amorim asserts the ability to play with different setups has remained part of his long-term vision.
Yet, he emphasizes he could only make the switch when his team were doing well enough - lest it would seem as if he was bowing to external noise.
"At the time I arrived here the previous campaign, I understood maybe I don't have the players to play well in that formation, but it was the commencement of a process," he stated.
"The goal was to establish an identity. Now is a separate juncture. We are missing a lot of players, and we have to be flexible, so they see why we are changing.
"The change isn't because of the influence of the media, or the fans.
"Whenever you talk about altering the system repeatedly, I cannot make a change because the squad will understand I'm altering things because of external voices and I believe that is the end for the manager.
"Only when we are performing strongly in our system, that is the right time to adapt.
"We will develop into a more complete team because when all the personnel return, we are not planning to employ a back three all the time."
Injury Issues Continue
Having only two wins in their last eight outings before beating Newcastle, it is debatable whether Amorim is accurate to claim his side have been in good form.
He is, nonetheless, managing with a injury-ravaged squad, with multiple senior players already unavailable for the forthcoming fixture against winless Wolverhampton Wanderers.
That total will grow if playmaker Mason Mount is unable to recover the injury that forced his exit from the Newcastle game at the interval.
Skipper Bruno Fernandes is a key name who will be absent for the Wolves clash, even though he is reportedly urging his manager to let him to make a comeback following his muscle injury.
"Fernandes is already telling me he has to practice," revealed Amorim. "But there is no chance he is going to feature against Wolves. Definitely not. You can write that."
The Captain's Leadership Endures
Nevertheless, the 31-year-old will almost certainly still be a prominent presence, as while most injured stars view matches from the stands, Fernandes was seen keeping a close eye on the pre-match routines from the entrance of the tunnel before the Newcastle game.
Amorim expects his captain to carry on offering insight.
"The guy is a leader," he stated. "He cannot be the type of player that when he is not playing, he's not talking and offering advice. He's constantly speaking. That's why he's the skipper.
"He has negative aspects sometimes - the way he moves his arms - but he has a lot of good things. Even after he recovers, he goes to observe the other guys training. There are a lot of things that go unnoticed.
"I don't know if he wants my job or not, but he's a born leader. He is a leader."
Recovery Schedule for Key Personnel
While the precise timeline for Fernandes' return - and that of fellow unavailable players like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - is unknown, by the end of January, the club will see the return of Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from continental duty.
