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If Louis van Gaal finishes above Manchester City, he will have exceeded all expectations in his first year in English football.

No more could be asked of the Dutchman - even after an outlay of £150m last summer.

To rise from seventh to above the reigning Premier League champions is as much as anyone at Manchester United could have hoped for.

The only complaint they might have is that it won't be enough to win the title.

It would have been a fair assumption at the beginning of the season that the team to finish above City would be champions.

That didn’t take into account the dramatic decline of Manuel Pellegrini’s side since the turn of the year.

Not that anything should be taken away from Van Gaal if he at least restores United’s status as Manchester’s pre-eminent team.

That is nothing to be sniffed at. Not since the rivalry between these clubs was reshaped by Abu Dhabi oil.

Two titles in three years for the blue half of the city is a measure of how the balance of power has been redressed.

The 22-point chasm between the sides last season suggested City could be ready to cut United adrift in the post Sir Alex Ferguson era.

Going into Sunday’s derby Van Gaal has inspired a 23-point swing, which is nothing short of remarkable.

That it has come at a time when United supporters were beginning to feel despondent, gives further rise the sense that a season of transition is turning out to be one to be celebrated.

Old Trafford will almost certainly go two years without a trophy for the first time since winning the FA Cup in 1990.

But the sense of achievement if they usurp City will provide sparkle in lieu of actual silverware.

If that sounds like a dilution of ambition - perhaps it is.

As was a minimum target of a top four finish in Van Gaal’s first season.

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But it also reflects the ground they had to make up after getting their post-Ferguson succession plan so wrong.

He built a title-winning machine over a quarter of a century. Second place was never good enough.

Yet there were moments of pragmatism during his reign too.

Times when a squad rebuild meant United had to take a back seat to Arsenal or Chelsea.

In such moments signs of genuine progression are everything.

If United do emerge as Chelsea’s closest challengers then Van Gaal will have done his job in every sense.

On the pitch he will have proved United are a force once more - as well as securing a return to the Champions League at the first time of asking.

Off it, he will have restored the faith of investors on the New York Stock Exchange that the club is in the right hands.

A top four finish of any description should also avoid the sense of panic that seemed to define their transfer policy last summer.

No one at United will be counting their chickens yet.

The wrong result on Sunday has the potential to wipe out the euphoria following wins against Tottenham and Liverpool in recent weeks.

With Chelsea coming up a week later this is a pivotal point in Van Gaal’s early reign.

Back-to-back defeats would serve as a reminder that United remain in the slipstream of the champions and the champions-elect.

Conversely, a return of four points or more and United fans would be wishing the season could go on for a few more weeks in the belief they’d chase down Jose Mourinho’s leaders.

Common sense would dictate that a title push is a step too far. In truth, any such thoughts were abandoned some time ago.

But overtaking City would provide its own sense of glory.

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