Ruben Amorim urged Manchester United to focus on “one game at a time” as they aim to break into the Premier League’s top four in the coming weeks.
United snapped a three-match winless run with a 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace last time out.
With Chelsea falling to a 3-1 loss to Leeds United on Wednesday, the Red Devils are now just three points behind the fourth-placed Blues, who do have a superior goal difference.
United have suffered just one defeat in their last seven outings, with that coming in a 1-0 loss to Everton at Old Trafford last week, giving them renewed hope of a push for Champions League qualification.
And Amorim, whose team will move into at least fifth should they beat West Ham on Thursday, sees no reason not to be positive.
“I understand the question and if the table is there, if you have the opportunity, one game per week, you need to go for it,” the United head coach said.
“But then you look at the table and everyone is two points behind. Everything can change in one week.
“Let’s focus. I think the best way of doing things, especially with our team, is to focus just on the next game.
“To go in the position of Champions League in the next weeks, yes, it is realistic. The future? I don't know. I want to continue near that position next week. Then the rest we will see.”
The boss has delivered a team news update ahead of tomorrow's Old Trafford return
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Despite West Ham’s poor run of form, a win is anything but guaranteed for United, who have lost four of their last five Premier League matches against the Hammers (W1) – more than they had in their previous 28 games (W19 D6 L3).
Sunday’s win over Palace also marked the return of centre-back Lisandro Martinez to the pitch after a 10-month injury layoff.
After coming off the bench against Palace, the Argentine is reportedly eager to start against West Ham, though Amorim has called for patience as he attempts to ease him back into the thick of things.
“[Martinez] is a guy that has a big character,” Amorim added. “I feel that he stops for a year and now he wants the things really, really fast and you have to manage that to explain with that injury.
“We need to go step by step but he's getting ready, he's feeling really strong. He's one more guy to help the team to play better, so I'm really happy with Licha at the moment.”