Head coach Ruben Amorim argues that altering Manchester United's formation due to media scrutiny would have signaled "his demise" for him.
In a first against Newcastle, Amorim ditched his usual back three setup with wide defenders and instead field an standard back four shielded by two defensive midfielders.
By his own admission this ultimately transformed into a back six in the latter minutes as his squad clung on for a victory - securing only their second shutout of the campaign.
While he once famously stated that not even the highest authority could force him to tweak his system, Amorim insists the capacity to experiment with different setups has consistently been part of his long-term vision.
However, he stresses he could solely implement the change when his team were performing at an acceptable level - or else it would appear as if he was giving in to outside pressure.
"At the time I came here last season, I realized perhaps I didn't possess the players to excel in a back three, but it was the commencement of a journey," he stated.
"We were trying to forge an philosophy. Now is a separate moment. We don't have a lot of personnel, and we have to adapt, so they see why we are making changes.
"It is not because of the demands of journalists, or the faithful.
"Whenever media talk about changing the formation constantly, I cannot make a change because the players will believe I'm changing because of external voices and I believe that is the downfall for the manager.
"Once we are getting results in our preferred setup, then is the opportunity to adapt.
"We will grow into a better side because when our full complement of players are back, we are not going to employ a back three exclusively."
Availability Issues Persist
With only two victories in their last eight outings prior to defeating Newcastle, it is debatable whether Amorim is correct to state his team have been playing well.
He is, nonetheless, working with a injury-ravaged squad, with seven senior stars already unavailable for the forthcoming home game against struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers.
That total will increase if midfielder Mason Mount is unable to recover the knock that forced his exit from the Newcastle game at half-time.
Skipper Bruno Fernandes is one of those who will miss the Wolves clash, despite the fact he is understood to be pushing his boss to allow him to return following his hamstring problem.
"Fernandes is already insisting he needs to practice," said Amorim. "But there is no chance he is going to feature against Wolves. No way. You can quote me on that."
Fernandes' Role Endures
However, the 31-year-old will almost certainly continue to be deeply engaged, as whereas most unavailable stars view matches from the stands, Fernandes was spotted 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 input.
"He is a leader," he stated. "He cannot be the type of player that when he is absent, he's silent and speaking. He's always communicating. That is the reason he's the skipper.
"There are negative aspects at times - the way he gesticulates - but he has a lot of positive qualities. After he recovers, he heads to observe the other guys training. There are a many things that go unnoticed.
"I don't know if he desires my position or not, but he's a born leader. The guy is a true captain."
Return Timeline for Injured Players
Although the precise timeline for the captain's comeback - and that of other unavailable stars like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - remains unknown, before the conclusion of January, United will welcome back Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from international duty.
