Head coach Ruben Amorim contends that altering Man Utd's formation due to external pressure would have been "the finish" for him.
For the first time against Newcastle, Amorim moved away from his customary three-at-the-back formation with wing-backs and instead field an traditional back four with two defensive midfielders.
By his own admission this effectively became a back six in the final minutes as his side held on for a win - securing only their second clean sheet of the campaign.
While he once famously stated that even the Pope could compel him to tweak his approach, Amorim insists the capacity to play with alternative formations has consistently been part of his strategy.
However, he clarifies he could solely implement the change when his team were performing at an acceptable level - otherwise it would look as if he was succumbing to outside pressure.
"When I arrived here the previous campaign, I recognized maybe I lacked the players to play well in that system, but it was the commencement of a project," he said.
"The goal was to establish an style. Currently is a different time. We don't have a lot of personnel, and we must be flexible, so they understand the reason we are making changes.
"The change isn't because of the influence of you guys, or the faithful.
"When you talk about changing the formation repeatedly, I can't make a change because the squad will think I'm altering things because of you and I think that is a disaster for the coach.
"Only when we are performing strongly in our system, that is the opportunity to adapt.
"We will develop into a better side because when all the personnel are back, we are not planning to use a back three all the time."
Injury Crisis Continue
Having only two victories in their last eight outings prior to beating Newcastle, it is debatable whether Amorim is correct to state his team have been playing well.
He is, though, managing with a injury-ravaged squad, with multiple senior stars already confirmed absent for the forthcoming fixture against winless Wolves.
That figure will rise if playmaker Mason Mount fails to recover the injury that forced his withdrawal from the Newcastle game at half-time.
Captain Bruno Fernandes is among those who will miss the Wolves match, despite the fact he is reportedly pressing his boss to allow him to make a comeback after his hamstring problem.
"Fernandes is already saying he needs to practice," revealed Amorim. "But there is no chance he is going to feature against Wolves. Definitely not. That's definitive."
Fernandes' Influence Is Unwavering
Nevertheless, the Portuguese star will likely continue to be heavily involved, as while most unavailable players view matches from a private box, Fernandes was observed keeping a close eye on the warm-ups from the mouth of the player's tunnel before the Newcastle game.
Amorim anticipates his leader to continue offering insight.
"He is a natural leader," he declared. "He cannot be the type of player that when he is absent, he's not talking and speaking. He's always communicating. That is the reason he's the skipper.
"There are bad things at times - the way he moves his arms - but he has a multitude of positive qualities. Even after he recovers, he goes to observe the other guys practicing. There are a lot of things that go unnoticed.
"I don't know if he desires my job or not, but he's a leader. The guy is a leader."
Return Schedule for Injured Players
While the specific timeline for Fernandes' return - and that of fellow unavailable stars like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - remains uncertain, before the conclusion of January, United will see the return of Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from continental competition.
