Head coach Ruben Amorim contends that changing Man Utd's formation due to media scrutiny would have signaled "the end" for him.
For the first time against Newcastle United, Amorim abandoned his usual back three formation with wide defenders and opted to use an traditional four-man defense with two holding midfielders.
By his own admission this at times transformed into a six-man defensive block in the final minutes as his squad held on for a crucial result - securing only their second-ever clean sheet of the season.
Despite he once memorably stated that not even the Pope could force him to change his system, Amorim asserts the ability to play with varied setups has remained part of his strategy.
Yet, he emphasizes he could only alter the tactics when his team were performing sufficiently well - otherwise it would seem as if he was bowing to outside pressure.
"When I arrived here the previous campaign, I recognized maybe I don't have the personnel to excel in a back three, but it was the start of a project," he said.
"Our aim was to establish an style. Today is a separate time. We don't have a full complement of personnel, and we need be flexible, so they see why we are switching things up.
"The change isn't because of the pressure of journalists, or the fans.
"Whenever the press talk about changing the system constantly, I can't make a change because the squad will understand I'm altering things because of you and I think that is a disaster for the manager.
"Once we are getting results in our system, that becomes the right time to adapt.
"We will become a more complete team because when all the personnel are back, we are not intending to play with a back three in every match."
Injury Challenges Continue
With just two victories in their last eight outings before defeating Newcastle, it is debatable whether Amorim is right to claim his team have been playing well.
He is, however, working with a severely stretched squad, with multiple first-team players already unavailable for the forthcoming fixture against winless Wolves.
That number will rise if midfielder Mason Mount fails to recover the knock that led to his exit from the Newcastle game at half-time.
Captain Bruno Fernandes is among those who will miss the Wolves clash, even though he is understood to be pushing his manager to let him to make a comeback after his hamstring problem.
"Bruno is already insisting he has to train," revealed Amorim. "However there is no chance he is going to feature against Wolves. No chance. That's definitive."
Fernandes' Role Is Unwavering
However, the 31-year-old will probably still be a prominent presence, as while most unavailable stars view matches from the stands, 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 stated. "He must not be that guy that when he is not playing, he's not talking and offering advice. He's always communicating. That is the reason he's the captain.
"He has flaws sometimes - his mannerisms he moves his arms - but he has a lot of positive qualities. After he recovers, he goes to observe the rest of the squad practicing. There are a lot of aspects you don't see.
"I don't know if he wants my position or not, but he's a leader. The guy is a leader."
Recovery Schedule for Key Players
While the specific timeline for the captain's return - and that of fellow injured stars like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - is unclear, by the end of January, United will welcome back Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from continental duty.
