Manager Ruben Amorim contends that altering Man Utd's tactical system due to external scrutiny would have signaled "his demise" for him.
In a first against Newcastle United, Amorim moved away from his trademark back three formation with wing-backs and chose to field an traditional back four shielded by two central midfielders.
By his own admission this at times transformed into a back six in the latter minutes as his team dug in for a win - securing just their second-ever clean sheet of the season.
Despite he once memorably stated that not even the highest authority could force him to change his system, Amorim maintains the ability to experiment with alternative formations has remained part of his strategy.
Nevertheless, he stresses he could only implement the change when his team were doing well enough - otherwise it would look as if he was succumbing to external pressure.
"When I arrived here the previous campaign, I understood maybe I lacked the players to play well in that system, but it was the beginning of a process," he commented.
"Our aim was to establish an style. Today is a distinct juncture. We don't have a lot of players, and we have to be flexible, so they see why we are switching things up.
"It is not because of the influence of you guys, or the faithful.
"When you criticize changing the system constantly, I can't change because the players will believe I'm altering things because of external voices and I believe that is a disaster for the manager.
"When we are performing strongly in our preferred setup, that is the moment to adapt.
"This will help us develop into a stronger team because when all the personnel return, we are not going to use a back three all the time."
Squad Crisis Loom Large
Having just two wins in their last eight outings before beating Newcastle, it is questionable whether Amorim is correct to claim his team have been playing well.
He is, nonetheless, managing with a severely stretched roster, with seven first-team stars already ruled out for the upcoming home game against struggling Wolves.
That number will rise if playmaker Mason Mount fails to recover the injury that led to his exit from the Newcastle game at the interval.
Captain Bruno Fernandes is a key name who will miss the Wolves clash, despite the fact he is understood to be pushing his boss to allow him to return after his hamstring injury.
"Fernandes is already saying he has to train," revealed Amorim. "But there is absolutely no possibility he is going to feature against Wolves. Definitely not. You can quote me on that."
Fernandes' Leadership Endures
Nevertheless, the Portuguese star will probably still be a prominent presence, as whereas most unavailable stars view matches from a private box, Fernandes was observed keeping a close eye on the warm-ups from the entrance of the tunnel before the Newcastle game.
Amorim expects his captain to continue providing guidance.
"He is a leader," he declared. "He must not be the type of player that when he is absent, he's not talking and offering advice. He's constantly speaking. That is the reason he's the skipper.
"He has flaws at times - the way he moves his arms - but he has a multitude of good things. After he recovers, he goes to watch the rest of the squad training. There are a many things you don't see.
"I don't know if he wants my job or not, but he's a born leader. The guy is a leader."
Recovery Timeline for Key Players
While the precise date for Fernandes' return - and that of other unavailable players like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - is uncertain, by the end of January, the club will welcome back Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from international competition.
