FA Cup final: Ander Herrera insists Manchester United are moving in right direction under Jose Mourinho

Ander Herrera is certain that Manchester United are moving in the right direction under Jose Mourinho and hopes the club can end a season of mixed success by lifting the FA Cup.

United will look back on Mourinho's second year in Manchester as one of progress, having bettered last term's sixth-place Premier League finish to end as runners-up behind champions Manchester City.

However, with 19-point gap separating the two clubs in the table, there is still plenty of room for improvement. An early exit from Europe in the last 16 of the Champions League provoked plenty of disappointment too.

United can at least close out the season with silverware by beating Chelsea in Saturday's FA Cup final but Herrera believes that the club is “going up” under Mourinho, regardless of the result at Wembley.

“I think we are going in the right direction,” he said while previewing Saturday's final. “Let’s put everything in perspective. Two years ago we were fifth in the league and FA Cup winners [under Louis van Gaal], last season we won three trophies [the League Cup, the Europa League and the Community Shield], we were sixth in the league.

“This season, second in the league and we can win a trophy, the FA Cup. So I think we should obligate to ourselves to do more but I cannot say we are going down. I think we are going up. After Sir Alex, we’ve had four years of transition and now I think the club is going up with this manager. I really think so.

Herrera said: “This club is about winning titles and reaching finals and I will have played in five finals. It will be my fifth final in four years. If you talk with other football players, they would like to be in our position.”

Herrera does not expect next year's Premier League title race to be a foregone conclusion either. This year, City appeared assured of the title following their victory over United at Old Trafford in December, if not earlier.

Yet the Spaniard has been left wondering whether this season's contest would have been closer had City not scored several decisive goals late on in games.

“Next season I think the champion can be champ with 85 or 86 [points],” he said. “I think this season, last season was an exception, ‘cos its not normal that and City have won six or seven games in the last minutes

“I remember West Ham at home, Huddersfield away, Southampton, Bournemouth - so if they draw all those games, maybe the champions would be seven or eight points less. So next season you never know and with the Premier League, teams with the capacity to sign good players, I don't think next season the champions will be again that far from the second.”

To see City so dominant and to watch Liverpool progress to a Champions League final must hurt any United player – especially one like Herrera, who has bought into the traditions of the club and established a rapport with the supporters since joining from Athletic Bilbao four years ago.

“If any player in the world tells you he doesn’t care about what the opponents do he is lying to you,” he admitted, when asked about City and Liverpool's success this season.

“That’s first and foremost. But I don’t go crazy with that. Last season we have won three trophies, this season we can still win one - it’s a 50-50 possibility.

“I cannot lie to you. If I can choose at the beginning of the season who wins the Premier League and who wins the champions League – if we couldn’t be champions – I wouldn’t tell you Manchester City and Liverpool.

“But I want to emphasise that I respect them and I don’t hate anyone. Hate is not in my life.”

Chelsea, meanwhile, have endured something of a difficult campaign. Win or lose, United's opponents on Saturday are likely to part with Antonio Conte after a disappointing fifth-placed finish in the league, just 12 months on from lifting the title.

United were one of the few teams to inflict defeat on Chelsea last season – beating them 2-0 at Old Trafford – with Herrera turning in a man-of-the-match performance by shackling the influential Eden Hazard.

When thinking back to that game, however, Herrera credits his team-mates for so effectively cutting off Hazard's service.

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“Before the game I was telling Marcus [Rashford], Jesse [Lingard], Paul [Pogba] and [Marouane] Fellaini who were in front of me all the time that the more difficult the ball that comes in to Hazard, the easier the job is for me,” he said.

“This is not about one player. I said that to them before – put pressure on so the ball into Hazard isn’t as good. I have to do my job but football is 11 players. If one players gets free with the ball and Hazard is with me, I’m dead.

“That guy has to have one of my team-mates on him making it difficult for him. Football is 11 players, sometimes 14, it’s not only one player.”

Even so, a similar man-to-man-marking job at Wembley could help United on to a memorable victory and end a challenging year on a positive note.

“It’s the final game of the season, we are playing against a top team as well, one that is used to winning trophies as well, it makes it difficult,” Herrera said. “But second in the league - if we finish second in the league and win FA Cup, I think we can go on holidays very happy.”