Boss Ruben Amorim argues that altering Man Utd's formation due to public pressure would have signaled "the finish" for him.
In a first against Newcastle, Amorim moved away from his usual back three formation with wide defenders and instead use an standard back four with two holding midfielders.
Amorim acknowledged this effectively functioned as a six-man defensive block in the closing phase as his side dug in for a win - securing just their second clean sheet of the campaign.
Despite he once famously remarked that not even the highest authority could force him to tweak his approach, Amorim insists the option to play with varied setups has consistently been part of his strategy.
However, he stresses he could solely make the switch when his team were faring at an acceptable level - lest it would seem as if he was bowing to outside criticism.
"When I arrived here last season, I realized maybe I lacked the personnel to excel in that system, but it was the commencement of a process," he said.
"The goal was to establish an identity. Today is a separate juncture. We don't have a lot of personnel, and we have to adapt, so they understand why we are making changes.
"It is not because of the influence of you guys, or the supporters.
"When you criticize altering the formation all the time, I can't change because the squad will understand I'm changing because of external voices and I think that is a disaster for the manager.
"Once we are performing strongly in our system, that becomes the moment to change.
"We will develop into a more complete squad because when all the personnel are back, we are not going to play with three defenders all the time."
Injury Challenges Loom Large
Having only two wins in their last eight outings before beating Newcastle, it is arguable whether Amorim is correct to state his team have been in good form.
He is, however, working with a severely stretched squad, with seven senior players already ruled out for the forthcoming home game against winless Wolves.
That figure will rise if midfielder Mason Mount fails 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 clash, despite the fact he is understood to be pushing his boss to allow him to return following his muscle problem.
"Bruno is already saying he needs to train," said Amorim. "However there is absolutely no possibility he is going to play against Wolves. No way. You can quote me on that."
The Captain's Influence Remains
Nevertheless, the 31-year-old will almost certainly still be heavily involved, as whereas most injured players view matches from the stands, Fernandes was seen monitoring the warm-ups from the mouth of the player's tunnel before the Newcastle game.
Amorim expects his captain to carry on providing insight.
"The guy is a leader," he stated. "He cannot be that guy that when he is not playing, he's not talking and offering advice. He's constantly communicating. That's why he's the skipper.
"He has negative aspects at times - his mannerisms he moves his arms - but he has a lot of strengths. After he finishes treatment, he heads to watch the other guys practicing. There are a lot of aspects that go unnoticed.
"I don't know if he desires my position or not, but he's a leader. The guy is a true captain."
Recovery Schedule for Injured Personnel
Although the exact timeline for the captain's comeback - and that of other injured stars like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - remains unknown, by the end of January, United will see the return of Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from continental competition.
