Head coach Ruben Amorim contends that changing Man Utd's formation due to public noise would have meant "the finish" for him.
For the first time against Newcastle United, Amorim abandoned his usual back three setup with wide defenders and instead deploy an traditional four-man defense with two defensive midfielders.
Amorim acknowledged this effectively functioned as a back six in the latter stages as his team clung on for a win - securing only their second clean sheet of the season.
Although he once memorably stated that not even the highest authority could force him to adjust his system, Amorim maintains the ability to play with alternative formations has always been part of his plan.
Nevertheless, he stresses he could only implement the change when his team were doing sufficiently well - lest it would appear as if he was giving in to outside noise.
"At the time I arrived here the previous campaign, I understood maybe I don't have the squad to perform effectively in a back three, but it was the commencement of a project," he said.
"The goal was to establish an philosophy. Now is a separate time. We lack a full complement of players, and we have to adjust, so they see why we are changing.
"The change isn't because of the pressure of journalists, or the supporters.
"Whenever the press criticize changing the system repeatedly, I cannot change because the squad will understand I'm altering things because of external voices and I believe that is a disaster for the manager.
"Only when we are performing strongly in our preferred setup, that is the moment to evolve.
"This will help us grow into a more complete side because when all the players are available, we are not planning to play with a back three in every match."
Squad Crisis Continue
With only two victories in eight games prior to beating Newcastle, it is debatable whether Amorim is right to claim his side have been playing well.
He is, however, managing with a severely stretched squad, with multiple first-team players already ruled out for the upcoming fixture against winless Wolverhampton Wanderers.
That figure will grow if playmaker Mason Mount is unable to shake off the knock that led to his withdrawal from the Newcastle game at half-time.
Captain Bruno Fernandes is a key name who will be absent for the Wolves match, even though he is reportedly pushing his boss to let him to return after his muscle injury.
"Fernandes is already insisting he needs to train," said Amorim. "However there is no chance he is going to play against Wolves. No way. You can write that."
The Captain's Influence Remains
Nevertheless, the Portuguese star will probably still be heavily involved, as while most injured players view matches from a private box, Fernandes was seen keeping a close eye on the pre-match routines 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 declared. "He must not be that guy that when he is not playing, he's silent and speaking. He's always communicating. That is the reason he's the captain.
"He has flaws at times - his mannerisms he gesticulates - but he has a lot of strengths. After he recovers, he goes to observe the rest of the squad practicing. There are a many things that go unnoticed.
"I'm not sure if he wants my job or not, but he's a leader. The guy is a leader."
Recovery Timeline for Injured Personnel
Although the specific date for the captain's comeback - and that of fellow injured players like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - is unknown, by the end of January, United will welcome back Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from continental duty.
