Jose Mourinho throws in the towel in race for the title

Jose Mourinho vowed to use the rest of the campaign as a catalyst for an improved Premier League title charge next season after effectively conceding this year’s crown to Manchester City.

This is comfortably United’s best league campaign since Alex Ferguson retired as a champion in 2013, yet Pep Guardiola’s swashbuckling side boast an eye-watering 15-point cushion at the summit.

The Reds Devils have been City’s nearest rivals throughout the campaign but Mourinho concedes the gap is almost certainly insurmountable with 13 games remaining, saying United “need points to be the first of the last”.