Head coach Ruben Amorim contends that switching Man Utd's formation due to external noise would have signaled "the end" for him.
Initially against Newcastle United, Amorim abandoned his trademark three-at-the-back formation with wing-backs and chose to field an traditional four-man defense shielded by two central midfielders.
By his own admission this effectively became a back six in the final phase as his team clung on for a victory - securing only their second clean sheet of the campaign.
While he once notably remarked that even the Pope could force him to tweak his system, Amorim maintains the capacity to play with varied formations has always been part of his long-term vision.
However, he clarifies he could only make the switch when his team were doing sufficiently well - or else it would look as if he was bowing to outside criticism.
"At the time I arrived here the previous campaign, I realized perhaps I didn't possess the squad to play well in a back three, but it was the start of a project," he commented.
"Our aim was to forge an identity. Currently is a different time. We lack a full complement of personnel, and we need adapt, so they understand the reason we are switching things up.
"The change isn't because of the pressure of you guys, or the faithful.
"When the press discuss changing the system constantly, I cannot make a change because the squad will understand I'm altering things because of external voices and I think that is a disaster for the manager.
"Only when we are playing well in our preferred setup, that becomes the opportunity to evolve.
"We are going to become a more complete team because when all the personnel are back, we are not going to play with three defenders exclusively."
Injury Crisis Continue
With only two victories in eight games prior to defeating Newcastle, it is questionable whether Amorim is correct to claim his side have been playing well.
He is, however, managing with a injury-ravaged roster, with seven first-team stars already unavailable for the upcoming fixture against winless Wolverhampton Wanderers.
That number will grow if midfielder Mason Mount fails to recover the knock that led to his exit from the Newcastle game at the interval.
Captain Bruno Fernandes is among those who will be absent for the Wolves clash, even though he is reportedly pushing his boss to let him to make a comeback after his hamstring injury.
"Bruno is already saying 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 Role Is Unwavering
Nevertheless, the Portuguese star will probably continue to be heavily involved, as while most injured players view matches from the stands, Fernandes was observed monitoring the warm-ups from the mouth of the player's tunnel before the Newcastle game.
Amorim is sure his leader to carry on providing guidance.
"The guy is a leader," he affirmed. "He cannot be that guy that when he is absent, he's silent and speaking. He's always communicating. That is the reason he's the skipper.
"He has bad things sometimes - the way he gesticulates - but he has a lot of strengths. Even after he recovers, he goes to watch the other guys training. There are a lot of aspects that go unnoticed.
"I don't know if he desires my job or not, but he's a born leader. The guy is a leader."
Recovery Timeline for Injured Personnel
While the specific date for Fernandes' comeback - and that of fellow unavailable players like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - is unknown, before the conclusion of January, the club will welcome back Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from international competition.
