Manchester United will compete for the first trophy of the season when they take on Southampton in the League Cup final at Wembley on Sunday.

Jose Mourinho’s men have beaten neighbours Manchester City, West Ham, and Hull en route to the showpiece, and the Portuguese boss is looking to join Brian Clough and Sir Alex Ferguson at the top of the list with four titles in the competition.

United go into Sunday’s clash in great form having won their last five games in all competitions, the latest of which coming on Wednesday when they got the better of Saint-Etienne 1-0 to progress to the last 16 of the Europa League.

Although the Red Devils are out of the Premier League title race, they trail Chelsea by 12 points, they are very much in contention for a top four spot in the league, as they trail fourth place Arsenal by just two points with 13 games remaining.

Add in their progression in Europe as well as the FA Cup, and Mourinho’s men have plenty to play for between now and May, and it could actually turn out to be a very successful season for the Red Devils should they go deep in those competitions.

So, with the first trophy of the season handed out on Sunday, we thought we’d take a look back at United’s campaign thus far, and here is What’s Hot and What’s Not from their 2016/17 season…

HOT – Rebuilding after tricky autumn

Everything looked rosy at United when the Red Devils won their opening three Premier League games of the campaign, but a 2-1 defeat at home to neighbours Manchester City instigated a stuttering run of form.

Mourinho’s men lost to City and then to Watford the week after, which started off a run of just two victories in 11 Premier League matches, with the likes of Stoke, Burnley, Arsenal, and West Ham all taking points off United from their visits to Old Trafford.

Nonetheless, a 1-0 victory over Tottenham spurred them onto a six-game winning streak, and back-to-back wins over Leicester and Watford have extended their unbeaten league run to 16 games, dating back to their 4-0 thumping at Chelsea in October.

Add in qualification for the last 16 of the Europa League, reaching the League Cup final, and indeed the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, and things are certainly looking up for United after a tricky time of it earlier in the campaign.

NOT – Out of title contention

Despite all the recent positives, United won’t be winning the Premier League this season, with too many draws in the early phase of the campaign to blame for their failed title challenge.

Mourinho’s men are 12 points adrift of league leaders Chelsea, despite losing the same amount of games as the Blues (three), yet Antonio Conte’s side have registered 19 wins to their 13, and drawn just three times to United’s nine.

Thus, it’s clear where it all went wrong for the Red Devils in their title quest, with their run of just two wins in 11, six of which were draws, seeing them pick up just 12 points in that time, in comparison to Chelsea’s tally of 25 in the same period.

It has been a great effort from Mourinho’s men to get back into the top four hunt after a sluggish early phase of the campaign, but the wait for the title at Old Trafford will go on for another year.

HOT – Form of Ibrahimovic

There were a few doubts among many football fans when Zlatan Ibrahimovic made the move to United last summer as to whether he could replicate the same form we saw at Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Milan, and Barcelona amongst others in English football.

Well, it’s fair to say that he has proved a lot of people wrong.

The 35-year-old has scored 24 goals in 36 appearances in all competitions this term, including 15 in 24 Premier League games.

He made a fast start to life in Manchester by netting five goals in his first five games, and although he went through a barren spell of just one goal in 11 appearances between September and November, he has since been in scintillating form in front of goal.

The Swedish striker has scored 18 goals in his last 21 appearances for United, and his overall tally for the campaign is 15 better than their next top-scorer Juan Mata, underlining his absolute significance to this United side.

Ibrahimovic’s form has been spectacular – he’ll clearly be the main man for the Red Devils over the coming months in attempting to win trophies and finish in the top four.

HOT – Several silverware chances

United’s League Cup final against Southampton on Sunday could see the club win the first of three potential trophies come the end of the campaign.

Manager Mourinho has taken the League Cup seriously this term in a bid to win a trophy in his first season in charge at Old Trafford, and he is now just 90 minutes away from winning a fourth title in the competition, which would take him level with Brian Clough and Sir Alex Ferguson as the most successful managers in the competition.

However, United are also into the last eight of the FA Cup and the last 16 of the Europa League, and although the fixtures will continue to pile up if they progress in both, it’s clear that from his team selections, Mourinho wants to win both competitions.

Europa League success would guarantee them a spot in next season’s Champions League, which at the moment isn’t guaranteed from their league position, while FA Cup glory would make United the most successful side in the competition with 13 titles, one clear of Arsenal, and secure Mourinho a second crown after leading Chelsea to the title in 2007.

Clearly, United have several silverware chances between now and May and, although one of them isn’t the Premier League title, it would represent a fine first season in charge for Mourinho if he could bring home at least one trophy over the coming months.