Bruno: United have to compete

The skipper scored and registered an assist in a 5-2 victory for Portugal over Sweden on Thursday, but spoke in depth about club football in the build-up to the friendly.

While accepting this season has been below expectations, he is determined that the future will be bright as plans continue to get United back challenging for all the major prizes at home and abroad.

With an Emirates FA Cup semi-final against Coventry City and a push to chase down Aston Villa and Tottenham in the table to look forward to, Bruno is already setting his sights further ahead, and is keen the team jostles with Manchester City, Liverpool and now Arsenal, in order to pursue league glory.

"I've always told the club that I don't want them to promise me that we're going to be champions," he told A Bola. "Because, for any club I go to, I don't expect them to promise me something that they can't fulfil at the outset. 

"What I have always asked, and want from the club, is for us to be competitive. This year, we weren't, and we don't have to hide it. The season has been below our expectations, below what my expectations are, at least. And I believe that for the club too because it is not used to being in this position.

"I want to be competitive. I want to compete. I want to win.

"I've already had a meeting with the new owners," he revealed. "They want to meet with the players and have already done so individually, and that was exactly the message I sent.

"I want to stay here. I want to be part of a project that has feet, legs, body and head, everything that is needed so that we can compete with Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool, who are the clubs that have been in the best shape.

"City and Liverpool above all, and Arsenal, who, in the last two or three years, have also been growing. After last year, when I think we had a good season for the expectations that existed and for my expectations, [because] I was aware that we weren't going to be at the same level as Liverpool and City.

"I was aware of that but I was also aware that we could compete or be closer, and we were closer to competing with them. We reached two finals, we won one, we lost another. We reached the quarter-finals of the Europa League.

"But, from last season to this one, there wasn't that continuity that, should there have been, would have made us even more competitive, a team more in line to be in the top places."