Boss Ruben Amorim says that switching Man Utd's formation due to public noise would have signaled "his demise" for him.
For the first time against Newcastle, Amorim ditched his customary three-at-the-back setup with wing-backs and chose to deploy an orthodox four-man defense shielded by two defensive midfielders.
By his own admission this ultimately became a back six in the closing phase as his team held on for a victory - securing only their second clean sheet of the campaign.
Despite he once memorably said that not even the Pope could compel him to tweak his approach, Amorim maintains the ability to utilize different setups has remained part of his strategy.
Yet, he stresses he could only implement the change when his team were doing sufficiently well - or else it would look as if he was bowing to outside noise.
"At the time I came here last season, I recognized perhaps I didn't possess the squad to excel in a back three, but it was the start of a journey," he commented.
"Our aim was to establish an style. Currently is a different time. We are missing a lot of personnel, and we need be flexible, so they see the reason we are switching things up.
"This isn't because of the demands of you guys, or the supporters.
"When the press discuss changing the formation repeatedly, I can't change because the squad will understand I'm altering things because of external voices and I think that is the downfall for the manager.
"Only when we are playing well in our preferred setup, that is the right time to evolve.
"We are going to grow into a more complete team because when all the personnel are back, we are not going to play with a back three in every match."
Injury Challenges Loom Large
Having just two victories in eight games before beating Newcastle, it is debatable whether Amorim is right to claim his side have been in good form.
He is, however, working with a injury-ravaged roster, with multiple first-team players already unavailable for the forthcoming home game against winless Wolverhampton Wanderers.
That figure will increase if midfielder Mason Mount is unable to shake off the injury that forced his withdrawal from the Newcastle game at the interval.
Captain Bruno Fernandes is one of those who will be absent for the Wolves match, even though he is reportedly pushing his boss to let him to return following his muscle injury.
"Bruno is already saying he needs to practice," said Amorim. "But there is absolutely no possibility he is going to feature against Wolves. Definitely not. That's definitive."
Fernandes' Role Remains
However, the Portuguese star will probably continue to be deeply engaged, as while most injured stars watch matches from the stands, Fernandes was spotted monitoring the pre-match routines from the entrance of the tunnel before the Newcastle game.
Amorim anticipates his captain to carry on providing guidance.
"The guy is a leader," he stated. "He cannot be the type of player that when he is absent, he's not talking and speaking. He's always speaking. That's why he's the captain.
"He has bad things at times - the way he gesticulates - but he has a multitude of strengths. Even after he recovers, he heads to watch the rest of the squad training. There are a many things that go unnoticed.
"I'm not sure if he desires my job or not, but he's a leader. The guy is a leader."
Return Schedule for Key Personnel
Although the specific date for the captain's return - and that of other unavailable stars like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - is unknown, before the conclusion of January, the club will welcome back Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from continental competition.
