Bruno Fernandes believes Manchester United's transfer business is arming them to "compete with the best", which was his aim before agreeing to a new contract at Old Trafford.
Midfielder Fernandes is the captain and star man at United and committed his long-term future to the club last week ahead of the start of the new Premier League season.
This was despite United falling to eighth last season, their lowest finish in the Premier League era.
Erik ten Hag's men did win the FA Cup, beating Manchester City in the final, but they were unable to consistently compete with their rivals at the top of the table.
That needed to change for Fernandes to remain happy in Manchester, but he is encouraged by the early signs, with United signing Joshua Zirkzee, Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui.
Zirkzee scored a dramatic winner on his debut against Fulham on Friday, ensuring United made a victorious start to the new campaign.
"The club knew that I want to compete with the best teams," Fernandes told MUTV. "They knew that we needed to improve the team. I think we're doing that.
"Obviously, I said to them: 'I don't need you to promise me that we're going to win the league'. No-one can promise that.
"But at least that we will have a team to compete and be competitive through the season, to try to achieve silverware and to compete in the highest levels.
"I think the club is doing that, trying to bring people in to get more players with quality in the team, to get more competitive, so everyone is fighting for your place.
"But my first choice was always to stay at the club. It was not even demands, but the things that I wanted to see: the club going forward, so I could see a future on that.
"To be honest, I look now and I see that the club is making an effort for that."
Rodri predicts PFA Player of the Year Foden could be England's best-ever player
Rodri predicted Phil Foden could go on to become England's greatest-ever player after he was crowned PFA Players' Player of the Year for the 2023-24 season on Tuesday.
Foden added the top men's PFA prize to the Premier League Player of the Season award he won in May, having inspired Manchester City to their fourth straight league title last term.
He scored 19 league goals and added eight assists in 2023-24, including vital hat-tricks against Brentford and Aston Villa and a stunning final-day strike versus West Ham.
Rodri was also considered among the contenders for the PFA prize after going unbeaten through all 34 of his Premier League appearances last season (27 wins, seven draws), but the Spaniard believes his team-mate was a worthy victor.
"I'm so, so happy about Phil. To be honest he's a very good kid, a very shy kid. For me, he has the ability to be the best English player in history when he finishes his career," Rodri said at Tuesday's award ceremony.
"He needs to keep the level up in his game, already he's one of the best players in the league and in Europe.
"I think he could get even better. The quality, ambition and hard work he has every day listening to old people like me is very important.
"He was outstanding last season and it's the first season I saw him carrying the team on his back."
Foden is the first Englishman to win the PFA Player's Player of the Year award since Wayne Rooney in 2010, and the first to do so in the same year as winning the Premier League title since John Terry in 2005.
Golden Boot winner Erling Haaland, who joined Rodri and Foden in being voted into the PFA Premier League Team of the Year, was also effusive in his praise for the England man.
"He's a great guy, I really enjoy playing with him and joking with him," Haaland said.
"Phil is unbelievable, some of the stuff he does in training that no one sees is also incredible, I'm lucky to play with him."
Foden, Palmer and Shaw win top prizes at PFA Awards
Phil Foden and Cole Palmer won the top men's prizes at the PFA Awards for the 2023-24 season on Tuesday.
Foden took home the Players' Player of the Year award for the first time, while Palmer was named the Young Player of the Year.
Two-time Young Player winner Foden had already been announced as the Premier League Player of the Season and the FWA Footballer of the Year.
Following the midweek ceremony, he has now also been recognised by his fellow professionals after starring in Manchester City's fourth straight title triumph.
Ex-City man Palmer had likewise been nominated for the top award after an outstanding first season at Chelsea, in which he netted 22 league goals.
However, Palmer was not included in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year.
Foden made the cut alongside City team-mate Erling Haaland and Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins in attack.
There were four City players included, with Kyle Walker and Rodri selected, but the champions were outnumbered by Arsenal's five representatives.
David Raya, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard earned recognition, with Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk completing the XI.
The PFA WSL Team of the Year included both Players' Player of the Year Bunny Shaw and Young Player of the Year Grace Clinton.
Shaw was one of six City stars in the XI despite her side being pipped to the title by Chelsea, who could count only three players in the team.
Lille 2-0 Slavia Praha: Zhegrova's second ensures strong lead in Champions League qualifying
Jonathan David and Edon Zhegrova again came up with potentially pivotal goals to put Lille in control of their Champions League play-off tie against Slavia Praha on Tuesday.
Both David and Zhegrova had netted against Fenerbahce in the previous round, with the Canada forward's extra-time penalty eliminating Jose Mourinho's men, and the pair were on target once more in a 2-0 win at Valenciennes' Stade du Hainaut.
It initially looked as though this might not be David's night, with last season's 19-goal Ligue 1 star passing up two very presentable openings in the first half.
David would have been particularly disappointed with the second of those, firing over after Zhegrova's effort was blocked by Antonin Kinsky, but he made amends in the 52nd minute when a first-time finish from a Hakon Haraldsson pass crept past the goalkeeper into the bottom-right corner.
The scorer of the first turned provider for the second, albeit David's flick to Zhegrova left the winger with plenty to do as he shimmied into the box and calmly shot beyond Kinsky.
It was not all one-way traffic in the second period as Slavia twice had the ball in the net, but Igoh Ogbu's scrambled goal shortly after the opener was struck off for handball, then substitute Mojmír Chytil's response to Zhegrova's dazzling second was ruled out for offside.
Data Debrief: Slavia slowed
Lille have the stronger team on paper, but Slavia had form on their side, unbeaten in 14 matches, with seven of those coming since the start of their domestic season last month. The Czech side had won their previous six games.
Ultimately, however, Lille's quality told – particularly in the case of Zhegrova.
He accounted for six of Lille's 16 shots and three of seven on target, also creating two chances as he was eventually rewarded for his endeavour with a 77th-minute strike.
Slavia will hope to recover their momentum in the return match in Czechia next Wednesday, with hopes of a place in the Champions League's new league phase waning.
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