Head coach Ruben Amorim contends that altering Man Utd's tactical system due to public noise would have meant "the end" for him.
In a first against Newcastle, Amorim ditched his usual three-at-the-back formation with wide defenders and chose to field an traditional back four with two defensive midfielders.
By his own admission this ultimately became a six-man defensive block in the latter stages as his squad dug in for a win - securing just their second-ever clean sheet of the campaign.
While he once famously remarked that not even the Pope could pressure him to adjust his system, Amorim maintains the option to experiment with alternative setups has always been part of his plan.
Yet, he clarifies he could only implement the change when his team were doing sufficiently well - or else it would look as if he was giving in to outside pressure.
"When I arrived here last season, I understood perhaps I don't have the squad to excel in a back three, but it was the start of a process," he said.
"The goal was to build an style. Now is a distinct moment. We are missing a lot of players, and we have to be flexible, so they understand the reason we are changing.
"The change isn't because of the influence of journalists, or the supporters.
"Whenever the press discuss altering the formation all the time, I can't change because the squad will believe I'm altering things because of you and I believe that is the end for the manager.
"When we are performing strongly in our system, that becomes the right time to adapt.
"This will help us grow into a stronger squad because when all the personnel are back, we are not planning to play with three defenders all the time."
Availability Issues Continue
Having just two victories in eight games prior to beating Newcastle, it is questionable whether Amorim is accurate to say his team have been playing well.
He is, nonetheless, working with a severely stretched roster, with multiple first-team stars already unavailable for the forthcoming fixture against struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers.
That number will increase if midfielder Mason Mount fails to recover the injury that forced his exit from the Newcastle game at the interval.
Skipper Bruno Fernandes is among those who will miss the Wolves clash, despite the fact he is understood to be urging his manager to let him to return after his muscle problem.
"Bruno is already insisting he has to practice," revealed Amorim. "But there is absolutely no possibility he is going to feature against Wolves. No way. You can write that."
The Captain's Role Endures
Nevertheless, the 31-year-old will probably still be deeply engaged, as while most unavailable players view matches from a private box, Fernandes was spotted monitoring the warm-ups from the mouth of the tunnel before the Newcastle game.
Amorim expects his leader to continue providing input.
"The guy is a natural leader," he affirmed. "He must not be that guy that when he is absent, he's not talking and offering advice. He's always communicating. That is the reason he's the captain.
"There are flaws sometimes - the way he gesticulates - but he has a lot of strengths. After he recovers, he heads to watch the other guys practicing. There are a lot of things that go unnoticed.
"I don't know if he desires my position or not, but he's a leader. He is a leader."
Return Timeline for Injured Players
Although the specific date for the captain's return - and that of other injured players like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - is unclear, by the end of January, United will see the return of Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from international duty.
