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Daley Blind has warned that Manchester United need to focus on the end of this season rather than thinking about challenging for the Premier League title next year.
The 25-year-old Dutchman, who has played a significant role in United's run of six consecutive wins, accepted rivals would have taken note of the 4-2 derby win over Manchester City on Sunday.
He insisted, however, that although United could win the title next year, they had to focus on securing a Champions League place - starting against Chelsea on Saturday.
Show all 19 1 /19Premier League player power rankings - 14 April Premier League player power rankings - 14 April 20) Harry Kane (down three) Kane has arguably been the Premier League's best striker this season and is a shoe-in to win the Young Player of the Year award. He'd be higher on the list for his individual performances but defeat to Aston Villa left Spurs with no chance of getting into the Champions League.
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Premier League player power rankings - 14 April 19) Vincent Kompany (down four) Was terrible again in the crucial defeat against Manchester United and was taken off at half-time because of an injury. City crashed out of the title race with the defeat but have a sizeable gap to Southampton and Liverpool. The biggest faller of the week.
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Premier League player power rankings - 14 April 18) Jamie Vardy (new entry) After failing to score in 23 matches Vardy suddenly has two in three and has looked like the player who chipped in with 16 crucial goals last season. Leicester are still three points from safety but have a game in hand over their rivals (although it is Chelsea). If Leicester want to stay up Vardy needs to continue his decent form.
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Premier League player power rankings - 14 April 17) Cesc Fabregas (new entry) Has looked tired of late after a long season in which he has had to play more football than he has been used to in recent years. Scored an absolutely crucial goal that should just about secure the title for Chelsea. Faces a return to Arsenal in a couple of weeks.
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Premier League player power rankings - 14 April 16) Ashley Young (new entry) Nobody would have predicted at the start of the season that Young would become one of Louis van Gaal's most important players. Scored the opener against City and created two more in a brilliant individual performance. Will need to keep up his good form at Stamford Bridge
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Premier League player power rankings - 14 April 15) Aaron Ramsey (new entry) Our highest new entry, Ramsey helped Arsenal to their eighth win in a row, despite a performance that was well under par. However, Gunners fans will be happy with a win when not playing particularly well, which has gone against type in recent years.
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Premier League player power rankings - 14 April 14) Alexis Sanchez (down one) Strangely ineffective at Turf Moor, Sanchez will still have a huge role to play if Arsenal are to complete a miracle and overturn Chelsea's massive lead. It seems unlikely, but Sanchez will be right in the middle of it.
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Premier League player power rankings - 14 April 13) Jordan Henderson (down two) After a win against Newcastle Liverpool are now just four points below Manchester City in the Champions League spots. With just six games left it may be too tall a task but City are in absolutely rotten form. Henderson is the first name on the Liverpool team sheet.
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Premier League player power rankings - 14 April 1) Sergio Aguero (down three) When he opened the scoring at Manchester United it looked for a short while as if we were about to see another comfortable City win at Old Trafford. But with defeat City have now fallen out of the title race and Aguero, although he scored two goals, is still way off his best form. But he'll be key if City are to stay in the top four.
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Premier League player power rankings - 14 April 11) Jake Livermore (down one) At the start of the season Hull were predicted to be comfortably in mid-table, perhaps even push for a European place. They've been dreadful this seasonand have not won any of their last six. With Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United still to play Steve Bruce's team are starting to look doomed. Livermore has been a lone bright spot.
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Premier League player power rankings - 14 April 10) John Terry (up four) Has played every minute of every Premier League game this season and has been the division's best defender - Chelsea still can't do without their captain even at the ripe age of 34. With Didier Drogba struggling against QPR the onus will now be on the Chelsea defence, as much as their attack, to win their remaining games and lift the title.
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Premier League player power rankings - 14 April 9) Wayne Rooney (up three) Louis van Gaal finally conceding that his captain had to play up front has changed United's season and sparked a late title push. He has six goals in his last nine games and he will be their main threat when Van Gaal's team visit Stamford Bridge next week. Chelsea have to stop him.
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Premier League player power rankings - 14 April 8) Jermain Defoe (non-mover) He's not quite fired Sunderland to life the way some predicted when he arrived in January, but he is the Black Cats' biggest hope. Three goals since he arrived but they have come in games that have yielded seven points. Dick Advocaat's team were awful against Crystal Palace and didn't give the former England striker even a whiff at goal - they need to do more to get him chances.
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Premier League player power rankings - 14 April 7) Danny Ings (down one) Burnley continue to frustrate their opponents but they are just not creating enough chances. Ings has been hailed for his performances this season but he has only nine goals all season and none since 11 February. If he can get three in the last six games the Clarets will have a great chance of staying up.
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Premier League player power rankings - 14 April 6) David De Gea (down three) The Premier League's form goalkeeper all season long, De Gea's continued excellence has covered in a big way for what is a mediocre defence. He has been the great constant in a season of peaks and troughs for the rest of the squad. Victor Valdes has not played a competitive game in more than a year - if he was called upon who knows what the result would be - while United's defence showed they could just about cope against CIty.
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Premier League player power rankings - 14 April 5) Esteban Cambiasso (non-mover) His legs aren't quite what they used to be but the veteran midfielder has been Leicester's most consistent performer all season, adding a touch of real class to a workman like side. Has popped up with four goals this season as well, second only to Leonardo Ulloa who has not scored in the Premier League in 2015.
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Premier League player power rankings - 14 April 3) Christian Benteke (up three) The Premier League's form player, Benteke now has eight goals in his last five games - those goals haven't been meaningless either. He scored the winner against West Brom, the opener against Sunderland, a hat-trick including a late equaliser against QPR and the winner at White Hart Lane. Villa will stay up on his form alone.
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Premier League player power rankings - 14 April 2) Olivier Giroud Olivier Giroud has been the biggest single reason for Arsenal's late title push. While Giroud was out between August and late November, a 15-point gap had opened up between Arsenal and Chelsea. Since making a scoring return in the defeat to Manchester United, Giroud has been on a tear, scoring 13 goals in 19 games - a period that has seen 15 wins, a draw and just three defeats.
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Premier League player power rankings - 14 April 1) Eden Hazard We're not saying that Eden Hazard is the best player in the Premier League, but he is the only irreplaceable member of the Premier League leaders. Chelsea would be a shadow of the team without the Belgian. While Hazard's fellow attacking midfielders (Oscar, Willian, Juan Cuadrado) have combined to score just eight goals and provide 11 assists all season, Hazard has 12 goals and seven assists on his own. With Diego Costa and Loic Remy out he is Chelsea's go-to guy.
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Blind said: "I think Manchester United is always a club that is fighting for the title.
"Of course other teams are watching us, but we have to watch ourselves this season, our own games, focus on that and then we will see where it ends
"We don't have to watch for Chelsea. We have to watch for our own games, we have to look at ourselves. Every game is a final to the end and we have to believe in ourselves."
Blind credited a pre-match team talk from skipper Wayne Rooney about ending their run of four successive losses against City with giving the United players an extra edge on Sunday.
Blind celebrates with Ashely Young during the 4-2 win over Manchester City (Getty Images) He added: "It was a thing that was always in our minds. It was going through the team. Everyone knew how important this game was, not only because it's a rat race in the last games, but also because of the history of the last four games.
"Wayne Rooney mentioned that in the dressing room before the game to all the players and it is something that you have in mind when you go on to the pitch. You saw how everyone was fighting for each other.
"Maybe after the first five minutes we were a bit like, 'What is happening here?' but after that we picked it up again and we did very well. And with the crowd behind us, it was amazing."
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