Brighton defender Bruno says they're up for their FA Cup date with Manchester United.

The Brighton captain has remained close friends with the United star Juan Mata since their days playing together in Spain at Valencia.

Bruno told The Sun: “I've been looking forward to this game since the draw was made because it's always special to play against a friend like Juan.

“He's eight years younger than me and was the young star when I joined Valencia in 2009.

“The first thing that struck me about Juan was that, despite his age, he was very mature.

“We just had a really good connection and since then we've had a really good friendship.

“His talent was, of course, unbelievable. I have so many memories of games that we've played together but the one that really stands out for me was when he scored in a 4-4 draw at Werder Bremen in the Europa League and we went through on away goals.

“It was an honour to be in the same team as him — just like it will also be an honour to play against him at Old Trafford.

“We've been speaking about it a lot and I know he can't wait for the game too."