Head coach Ruben Amorim says that altering Manchester United's formation due to public noise would have signaled "his demise" for him.
For the first time against Newcastle United, Amorim abandoned his customary back three formation with wide defenders and chose to field an orthodox back four shielded by two central midfielders.
By his own admission this ultimately functioned as a back six in the final minutes as his squad clung on for a crucial result - securing just their second-ever clean sheet of the season.
Although he once famously stated that even the highest authority could compel him to adjust his approach, Amorim insists the capacity to play with varied setups has consistently been part of his strategy.
Yet, he emphasizes he could only make the switch when his team were performing at an acceptable level - otherwise it would seem as if he was bowing to external noise.
"When I came here last season, I realized maybe I don't have the players to perform effectively in that formation, but it was the start of a process," he stated.
"The goal was to build an philosophy. Now is a different juncture. We are missing a full complement of players, and we have to adapt, so they see why we are making changes.
"The change isn't because of the influence of the media, or the fans.
"When you criticize altering the formation repeatedly, I cannot make a change because the squad will believe I'm altering things because of you and I believe that is the downfall for the coach.
"Once we are playing well in our system, that is the moment to adapt.
"We are going to grow into a stronger squad because when our full complement of players return, we are not intending to play with a back three all the time."
Availability Crisis Persist
With only two victories in eight games before defeating Newcastle, it is arguable whether Amorim is correct to state his team have been in good form.
He is, however, managing with a injury-ravaged roster, with multiple first-team players already ruled out for the upcoming fixture against struggling Wolves.
That total will increase if midfielder Mason Mount fails to recover the injury that forced his exit from the Newcastle game at the interval.
Captain Bruno Fernandes is a key name who will be absent for the Wolves clash, even though he is reportedly pressing his manager to allow him to make a comeback following his hamstring problem.
"Bruno is already saying he has to train," said Amorim. "However there is absolutely no possibility he is going to feature against Wolves. No chance. You can write that."
The Captain's Leadership Is Unwavering
However, the Portuguese star will probably still be heavily involved, as whereas most unavailable players watch matches from a private box, Fernandes was observed monitoring the pre-match routines from the mouth of the player's tunnel before the Newcastle game.
Amorim expects his leader to continue offering input.
"He is a leader," he declared. "He must not be that guy that when he is absent, he's not talking and speaking. He's constantly speaking. That is the reason he's the skipper.
"There are flaws at times - the way he moves his arms - but he has a multitude of positive qualities. After he finishes treatment, he heads to observe the rest of the squad training. There are a many things that go unnoticed.
"I don't know if he wants my position or not, but he's a leader. The guy is a leader."
Recovery Schedule for Injured Players
While the specific timeline for the captain's return - and that of other injured 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.
