Ander Herrera has heard all the talk about Manchester United’s style of play but he would rather deal in cold, hard facts when asked to assess where they are as a club at the moment under Jose Mourinho.

“I think we are going in the right direction,” the United midfielder said. “Let’s put everything in perspective. Two years ago, we were fifth in the Premier League and FA Cup winners. Last season we won three trophies [the Europa League, League Cup and Community Shield] and were sixth in the league. This season - second in the league and we can win a trophy, the FA Cup.

“We should have an obligation to ourselves to do more, but I cannot say we are going down. After Sir Alex Ferguson, we’ve had four years of transition and now I think the club is going up with this manager.

“This club is about winning titles and reaching finals and this will be my fifth final in two years. If you talk with other football players, they would like to be in our position.”

Herrera will make it five out of five if United beat Chelsea in the FA Cup final tomorrow evening. Regardless of what happens at Wembley, though, he is aware that the club’s season could be framed by Manchester City’s runaway title success and the prospect of a sixth European Cup win for Liverpool should the Merseysiders beat Real Madrid in Kiev next week.