5 reasons Manchester United will keep hold of second spot in the EPL

#1 Pride on the line

Jose Mourinho has improved United massively.

The upcoming week will be a season defining one for Jose and his team, it will see them fight for progress in two competitions they have a shot at winning.

The Portuguese was in the same seat just a few months earlier, when United played Ajax in the UEFA Europa League final as he fought for a seal of approval from the experts and the fans alike.

This season, the story is slight different. The Red Devils are in for the FA Cup, their only realistic and most attainable silverware. If they manage to book their place in the last eight of the UCL, clinch second spot in the league and lift the FA Cup, their season will be considered a satisfactory one.

Moreover, they would technically be the second best side in the league behind Manchester City who have raised the bar in English football altogether.

They cannot afford to slip up in any of the remaining fixtures. They cannot afford to slip up behind yet another rival club, as if seeing City get the better of them isn't enough.

United from now on will play for pride in every fixture and step onto the pitch to give more than their best. They have to finish this season at a level from they can considered potential title challengers for the English crown next season.