David de Gea says Manchester United can fight for the Premier League and Champions League this season after adding Cristiano Ronaldo and Raphael Varane to the squad.
United, who host Aston Villa on Saturday lunchtime after crashing out of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night following defeat to West Ham, finished second last season behind Manchester City, and reached the final of the Europa League, losing out on penalties to Villarreal.
Domestically, they will face fierce competition for the title from Chelsea and Liverpool - the two teams they sit level on 13 points with at the top of the table - as well as defending champions City.
But goalkeeper De Gea is expecting more from United in this campaign following the injection of experience from the former Real Madrid duo, and the £73m acquisition of 21-year-old Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund.
"We signed good players [in the summer] and we already had a good squad," De Gea told Sky Sports.
"We are there at the top of the league fighting for every game, of course it is hard, it is the best league in the world.
"Every game is difficult, we want to fight for the big trophies, try to fight for the Premier League, the Champions League, for everything and I think we have the squad and the players and we have the fans with us so it's amazing. I think the club is in a good point.
"I think there are top teams fighting for the league, like always in the Premier League. So let's see what happens, be focused on the next games and just prepare properly and put everything on the pitch and in training."
De Gea on Ronaldo impact: 'It can be a great year'
De Gea says Ronaldo's return to the club from Italian side Juventus has already had a huge impact on the squad.
The Portugal forward, who holds the record for most goals in men's international football, has scored four times in the three matches he has played in this campaign.
But De Gea, like his fellow United goalkeeper Lee Grant already alluded to, says Ronaldo's influence on the team stretches far beyond his goals on the pitch.
"I think that the impact is already there," he added. "It's amazing to have him back at home.
"He's already a legend in the club, so I think for the players, for the young lads, for everyone, he's a great guy to see every day how he works in the gym, how he treats himself, how he takes care of his body, and of himself.
"He is an amazing player and it's great to see him here every day working hard and helping the team.
"Let's see, like I said, now we have a bigger squad, big players - players with experience like Cristiano, like Raphael Varane, like me, Juan Mata - so we have more experience on the team.
"So let's see, it can be a great year."
SIDKAUSH
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WORLD CLASS SQUAD
3RD CLASS MANAGER
Desmondeyum
295
Cristiano Ronaldo's secret to staying at the very top level his career! ➡️ He eats every 3-4 hours, so 6 times a day in small quantities ➡️ He never drinks soda, never eats red meat or frozen food ➡️ He spends hours at the gym 💪💪💪
kg-4991
271
EFL Cup is not a big trophy. It was more over used as a platform for the U23 squad to play and compete while small clubs have a good chance for a fair battle to get some silverware. Manchester City started going all out for that due to the huge ego of Pep Guardiola. 6 years ago, people don't even care about winning or losing EFL cup. Now all these hippocrites have surfaced to judge. We played well and lost that's it. I trust in my team, I trusted and supported them in the darkest days. Dawn is upon us, we just have to brace for a few more days before we can ride to Tomorrow.
Delealli10
128
Correction:Cristiano has scored 4times in 3 matches and not 4timea in the 4matches