Every fixture will be special for Albion in the Premier League next season.

The first league meeting with Manchester United since drawing at Old Trafford in March 1983 will have even more meaning than clashing with a giant for Spanish captain Bruno.

Within an hour of Albion's promotion being confirmed at the Amex last month, Bruno received a message from Juan Mata on Twitter.

The United midfielder welcomed his "good friend" to the Premier League and told him: "You deserve it".

Bruno's close bond with Mata dates back to their time together at Valencia.

They were team-mates at the Mastella for two seasons in La Liga, the Champions League and the Europa League before Mata made a £23.5 million move to Chelsea.

"We are really good friends and he said on Twitter he was really happy for me and welcome to the Premier League," Bruno revealed. "That's really nice from him.

"We had a nice relationship. He is younger than me but he is a special guy.

"We had a nice connection from the first day. We've kept that."

A month after his switch to Stamford Bridge, Mata returned to the Mastella with Chelsea for a Champions League qualifier against Bruno's Valencia.

Now they are on course to collide again when Albion's eagerly awaited fixture list is unveiled on June 14.

Bruno said; "Of course, to play against him would be nice. To play against friends is special.

"At least I know I am going to see him twice a year!"

The chances of that happening appeared remote when Jose Mourinho, the manager who sold Mata from Chelsea to Manchester United, took The Argus: charge at Old Trafford.

The assumption it would signal the end for Mata (above) has turned out to be well wide of the mark.

The 29-year-old has been one of the most consistent performers during Mourinho's first season in charge.

He will be a key figure for United tonight in their bid to win the Europa League final against Ajax in Stockholm, a competition Mata won with Chelsea.

Mata has become so pivotal to United's prospects under Mourinho that an option to extend by a further 12 months a contract which still has a year to run is likely to be taken up.

There is also a strong connection for Bruno to the blue half of Manchester.

His first season at Valencia, after Unai Emery his former manager at Almeria re-signed him, was spent in the company of David Silva before he moved to the Etihad.

A short journey from Manchester is Stoke's Bet365 Stadium, where Bruno (below) featured in both legs of 2-0 aggregate Europa League victory in his final season with Valencia prior to Albion snapping him up on a free transfer.

The Argus: The 36-year-old right-back said: "All of them are going to be special, especially to play in the Premier League at home.

"The players, the club, the city, have been waiting for this moment.

"And, of course, when you go away there are going to be a lot of nice stadiums to go to.

"I am lucky because I have played at a few and already had that experience. But to go with Brighton will be even more special."

The final table emphasised the three-tier nature of the Premier League.

United in sixth finished 24 points below champions Chelsea. The margin between Mourinho's men and West Brom in tenth was also a gaping 24 points.

Albion's survival prospects will not be determined by results at venues like Old Trafford - but their skipper will relish a reunion with Mata.