Manchester United increased the pressure on the Premier League’s top four with a comprehensive 3-0 victory over champions Leicester on Sunday.

Jose Mourinho’s men had seen Arsenal and Liverpool lose on Saturday, and took full advantage thanks to goals from Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and Juan Mata.

The victory, their 12th of the season and first since January 2, means that they are now just a point behind fifth place Liverpool, who themselves are only a point adrift of Arsenal in fourth.

However, the Red Devils still trail leaders Chelsea by 14 points after Antonio Conte’s men beat Arsene Wenger’s men 3-1 on Saturday, which is likely too big a gap to bridge between now and May.

United are now unbeaten in their last 15 Premier League matches, and will be confident of getting a top four place come May, and indeed returning to the Champions League after a year absence, yet they could still put the pressure on Chelsea between now and the end of the season.

They’ve certainly got the players to go on a long winning run, so here are TWO that must start every game if they are to bridge the gap between themselves and Chelsea…

Ander Herrera

Ander Herrera has improved ten-fold this season, and is now the number one choice central midfielder at Manchester United.

The Spanish international made just 17 Premier League starts under Louis van Gaal last season and only 19 the season before, his first at Old Trafford having signed from Athletic Bilbao in 2014.

Yet, he has already made 17 starts for Mourinho this season, with his stunning display in the middle against Liverpool back in October clearly enough to prove to the United boss that he was the answer to his central midfield concerns.

And since then Herrera has not disappointed. He has struck up an excellent understanding with Michael Carrick, and has developed into a reliable midfielder who defends well but also contributes going forward.

With Carrick unlikely to be able to play every game between now and May, Herrera will be the main man for United in that midfield area.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Juan Mata is United’s second highest goal-scorer this season with eight goals, which goes to show how integral Zlatan Ibrahimovic is to this Red Devils team.

The Swedish striker netted his 20th goal of the campaign in the 3-0 win over Leicester on Sunday, which is the tenth successive season that the 35-year-old has scored at least 20 goals.

His strike on Sunday was his 15th Premier League goal of the season, which means that he is just one behind top-scorer Romelu Lukaku, which isn’t bad considering he went six league games without a goal earlier this season.

It’s clear that Ibrahimovic is United’s talisman, so keeping him fit and fresh for the remainder of the season is crucial, as it’s difficult to see exactly where the goals will come from should the striker get injured or suspended.