Guillermo Varela is delighted with his breakthrough at Manchester United this season.

Varela feels his breakthrough last December, making his debut against West Ham United and starting in the Champions League defeat to Wolfsburg, gave him the confidence to step up to the plate.

"It gave me a kind of inner calm to say that I could compete at the level of the Champions League," the 22-year-old told manutd.com. "Then, I knew I can be here and I can play. After being in the squad a few times and then featuring in a number of games, you start to feel that you are capable of turning out in the starting XI and performing at the level the team requires. But, of course, I need to keep working hard, I can't start believing that I've arrived because that's clearly not the case.

"It's all about continuing to work hard and trying to win the confidence of the coach. Firstly, I love being at Manchester United and I'd love to enjoy a long career here and win everything that comes in our path. Then, looking ahead, [playing for] the [Uruguayan] national team of course!"