Head coach Ruben Amorim says that altering Man Utd's formation due to external scrutiny would have been "his demise" for him.
Initially against Newcastle, Amorim ditched his usual three-at-the-back setup with wide defenders and opted to field an orthodox four-man defense with two holding midfielders.
By his own admission this at times transformed into a six-man defensive block in the closing minutes as his team held on for a victory - securing only their second-ever shutout of the campaign.
Despite he once notably said that even the highest authority could force him to tweak his system, Amorim asserts the option to utilize alternative setups has consistently been part of his strategy.
Yet, he emphasizes he could only alter the tactics when his team were faring sufficiently well - or else it would look as if he was bowing to external noise.
"At the time I arrived here the previous campaign, I recognized perhaps I lacked the personnel to play well in that formation, but it was the commencement of a process," he stated.
"We were trying to forge an identity. Today is a separate time. We are missing a lot of players, and we need adjust, so they comprehend the reason we are switching things up.
"This isn't because of the influence of journalists, or the faithful.
"Whenever you criticize altering the formation constantly, I can't change because the squad will think I'm changing because of external voices and I feel that is a disaster for the manager.
"Once we are playing well in our system, then is the moment to evolve.
"This will help us grow into a better side because when our full complement of players are available, we are not going to use a back three in every match."
Squad Issues Loom Large
With only two victories in their last eight outings before beating Newcastle, it is debatable whether Amorim is right to state his side have been in good form.
He is, though, managing with a injury-ravaged roster, with multiple senior players already ruled out for the upcoming home game against struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers.
That total will rise if midfielder Mason Mount is unable to recover the injury that forced his exit from the Newcastle game at the interval.
Skipper Bruno Fernandes is one of those who will be absent for the Wolves clash, despite the fact he is understood to be urging his boss to allow him to return following his muscle problem.
"Bruno is already saying he needs to train," said Amorim. "But there is no chance he is going to feature against Wolves. Definitely not. You can quote me on that."
The Captain's Influence Remains
Nevertheless, the 31-year-old will almost certainly continue to be a prominent presence, as whereas most injured players watch matches from the stands, Fernandes was spotted monitoring the warm-ups from the mouth of the player's tunnel before the Newcastle game.
Amorim anticipates his captain to continue providing guidance.
"The guy is a leader," he affirmed. "He must not be that guy that when he is not playing, he's not talking and offering advice. He's constantly speaking. That is the reason he's the skipper.
"He has bad things sometimes - the way he moves his arms - but he has a lot of strengths. After he recovers, he heads to observe the rest of the squad practicing. There are a lot of aspects that go unnoticed.
"I don't know if he wants my position or not, but he's a leader. The guy is a leader."
Recovery Timeline for Key Players
Although the specific timeline for the captain's comeback - and that of fellow unavailable stars like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - remains unclear, before the conclusion of January, United will welcome back Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from international competition.
