Boss Ruben Amorim argues that altering Man Utd's formation due to external pressure would have meant "his demise" for him.
For the first time against Newcastle United, Amorim abandoned his trademark back three formation with wide defenders and chose to deploy an orthodox four-man defense shielded by two holding midfielders.
By his own admission this ultimately transformed into a six-man defensive block in the final phase as his team dug in for a victory - securing just their second-ever shutout of the campaign.
While he once notably remarked that not even the highest authority could force him to tweak his approach, Amorim maintains the option to utilize varied formations has always been part of his plan.
Nevertheless, he emphasizes he could solely implement the change when his team were doing at an acceptable level - or else it would seem as if he was bowing to external noise.
"At the time I arrived here last season, I realized perhaps I lacked the players to perform effectively in that formation, but it was the beginning of a process," he said.
"We were trying to establish an style. Currently is a separate time. We don't have a lot of players, and we need adjust, so they see why we are changing.
"The change isn't because of the pressure of journalists, or the fans.
"Whenever the press talk about changing the system all the time, I can't change because the players will understand I'm changing because of you and I feel that is the downfall for the manager.
"Once we are playing well in our system, then is the right time to change.
"This will help us develop into a more complete team because when our full complement of players are back, we are not intending to employ three defenders in every match."
Availability Issues Continue
Having only two victories in eight games prior to beating Newcastle, it is questionable whether Amorim is accurate to state his side have been in good form.
He is, however, working with a severely stretched squad, with seven senior stars already ruled out for the forthcoming fixture against winless Wolves.
That number will increase if midfielder Mason Mount is unable to recover the knock that forced his exit from the Newcastle game at the interval.
Captain Bruno Fernandes is one of those who will miss the Wolves clash, even though he is reportedly urging his boss to let him to make a comeback after his muscle injury.
"Fernandes is already telling me he needs to train," said Amorim. "But there is no chance he is going to feature against Wolves. Definitely not. You can write that."
Fernandes' Leadership Is Unwavering
However, the 31-year-old will probably continue to be a prominent presence, as while most unavailable players view matches from the stands, Fernandes was observed keeping a close eye on the warm-ups from the mouth of the tunnel before the Newcastle game.
Amorim anticipates his captain to continue providing input.
"He is a leader," he declared. "He must not be the type of player that when he is not playing, he's not talking and speaking. He's constantly vocal. That's why he's the captain.
"He has bad things at times - his mannerisms he moves his arms - but he has a multitude of good things. Even after he recovers, he goes to observe the rest of the squad training. There are a many aspects that go unnoticed.
"I'm not sure if he wants my job or not, but he's a leader. He is a true captain."
Recovery Schedule for Key Players
Although the exact timeline for the captain's comeback - and that of other unavailable players like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - is unclear, before the conclusion of January, United will see the return of Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from international duty.
