Boss Ruben Amorim contends that switching Man Utd's formation due to public pressure would have meant "the end" for him.
In a first against Newcastle, Amorim abandoned his customary back three formation with wing-backs and chose to field an orthodox back four with two defensive midfielders.
By his own admission this ultimately became a six-man defensive block in the latter stages as his squad clung on for a crucial result - securing just their second-ever shutout of the season.
Although he once memorably remarked that even the Pope could force him to change his system, Amorim insists the capacity to play with alternative formations has always been part of his long-term vision.
However, he clarifies he could only implement the change when his team were doing at an acceptable level - or else it would appear as if he was bowing to external noise.
"When I arrived here the previous campaign, I understood maybe I don't have the players to perform effectively in that system, but it was the commencement of a process," he commented.
"The goal was to build an style. Today is a different juncture. We don't have a lot of players, and we have to be flexible, so they see the reason we are making changes.
"The change isn't because of the pressure of you guys, or the faithful.
"Whenever you discuss changing the system constantly, I cannot make a change because the players will believe I'm changing because of external voices and I believe that is a disaster for the manager.
"When we are performing strongly in our preferred setup, that becomes the right time to evolve.
"We are going to develop into a more complete side because when all the personnel are available, we are not intending to play with three defenders exclusively."
Injury Challenges Persist
Having only two victories in eight games before beating Newcastle, it is questionable whether Amorim is accurate to state his side have been playing well.
He is, nonetheless, operating with a depleted roster, with multiple first-team players already unavailable for the forthcoming home game against struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers.
That number will grow if playmaker Mason Mount fails to recover the injury that led to his withdrawal from the Newcastle game at half-time.
Skipper Bruno Fernandes is one of those who will miss the Wolves match, even though he is understood to be pushing his boss to let him to make a comeback following his hamstring problem.
"Fernandes is already insisting he needs to train," revealed Amorim. "But there is absolutely no possibility he is going to play against Wolves. No way. You can quote me on that."
The Captain's Influence Endures
However, the Portuguese star will almost certainly continue to be heavily involved, as while most unavailable stars watch matches from a private box, Fernandes was seen monitoring the warm-ups from the entrance of the player's tunnel before the Newcastle game.
Amorim anticipates his captain to continue providing insight.
"The guy is a leader," he stated. "He must not be the type of player that when he is absent, he's not talking and speaking. He's always vocal. That is the reason he's the captain.
"He has flaws at times - the way he moves his arms - but he has a multitude of strengths. After he recovers, he heads to observe the other guys practicing. There are a lot of things you don't see.
"I'm not sure if he desires my job or not, but he's a leader. The guy is a leader."
Recovery Schedule for Injured Players
While the precise date for the captain's return - and that of fellow unavailable stars like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - remains unknown, before the conclusion of January, the club will see the return of Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from international duty.
