Jones refuses to rule out United catching City

Cape Town - Manchester United defender Phil Jones is not giving up hope of catching Premier League leaders Manchester City because of events from the 2011-12 season.

Second-placed United closed the gap to 12 points with their win over Stoke and City’s defeat to Liverpool - their first loss of the season.

Jones remembers well the final day of the 2011-12 campaign, when City dramatically snatched the title from United’s grasp, teaching the defender to rule nothing out.

"Football is football, never say never. I remember in my first season we were eight points clear, absolutely cruising, no way we'd let the lead slip and we lost it on the final day," Jones said.

"People can say what they want, but we'll continue to be positive and push forward. You never know, it happened in 2012 to us, so why not?

"We're doing well, we need to keep going. It was a big, big game for us on Monday with points to be played for and teams dropping points around us."

United will continue their dogged pursuit of their neighbours on Saturday when they take on Burnley at Turf Moor, while City are set to host Newcastle.

Kick-off is at 17:00 (SA time).