Bruno believes Albion have made a shrewd signing with their latest right-back import.

But he is not ready to take a back seat yet as the club tackle their second Premier League season.

The skipper has been impressed by the extra competition for places and strength in depth in the Seagulls’ set-up this term.

Even though it kept him out of the starting XI when he recovered from the first hamstring injury of his career.

He believes there will be plenty of scope for both him and summer signing Martin Montoya to impress as the schedule steps up a gear later in the campaign.

It is six years now since Catalan Bruno arrived from Valencia with his wife, a baby daughter and a four-year-old son who was about to start his first school surrounded by kids he could not understand.

The family settled in Hove and Bruno set about being the man who kept the fans’ favourite – Inigo Calderon back then – out of the side.

Montoya is in exactly the same situation now – right down to the son starting school.

Bruno knows the challenges that will be faced on and off the field as the season wears on, the games get tougher and days get darker and colder.

He told The Argus: “I have been trying to help Martin as much as possible.

“I know how difficult it is to come to another country, another language, other habits.

“He has got a really good character and he has settled down really well.

“We are really happy with him and it doesn’t mean anything that he didn’t play on Friday.

“It’s going to be a long season and we are going to need all the players.

The Argus:

Martin Montoya gets in a challenge against Tottenham

“It’s a little bit different here to LaLiga. It’s more physical and you don’t see that box-to-box player we have here in Spain.

“Here you have players who can take the ball and drive for 50 or 60 yards and you need to get used to that.

“As well, I have been trying to explain to him the way that we play. How we like to play in defensive stuff. Everything really.

“But he’s an experienced player and it’s really easy with him. He understands really fast, he understands the way we play and of course he is a good player.”

It has been a tough start to the season for Bruno, who looked a picture of misery as he sat injured on the Vicarage Road turf on the opening day.

Gaetan Bong, left out of the XI at Watford, came on as sub and Lewis Dunk has since also had an injury lay-off.

But Chris Hughton reunited the old firm at the back in the quest for a first shut out on Friday.

As Sky Sports analyst Gary Neville quickly picked up on, Bruno, Shane Duffy, Dunk and Bong were the back line in the promotion season, although perhaps not as often as you might think.

The quartet played together as a unit ahead of David Stockdale 17 times in the first half of the 2016-17 campaign. Injuries for first Bong, then Duffy, broke up the foursome.

They were in unison 14 times in front of Mathew Ryan last term, mainly during the period between Bong ousting summer signing Markus Suttner at left-back and Bruno losing his spot to Ezequiel Schelotto on the right.

They helped secure important clean sheets at Swansea, still the Seagulls’ last away win, and Newcastle, who Albion visit straight after the current break.

Leon Balogun, Bernardo, Suttner, Schelotto and Montoya have all been added to the defensive ranks since the old firm was first assembled at St James’s Park in August, 2016.

Bruno said: “Always an injury is a tough start after 15 or 20 minutes. It’s the worst way to start the season.

“After, I had to wait my chance and the gaffer decided to put me in (on Friday) and I was really happy to get the three points.

“Sometimes you have to wait for your chance. I have been fit for the last three or four games.

“I was on the bench for two or three and outside the 18 for one game.

“That’s football. That is what we want. We want a lot of good players in the team and we have to wait for our chance.

“When the chance comes, you have to take it.”

That he believes, was done on Friday with a clean sheet which was secured the hard way. And with a little luck on a couple of occasions.

Bruno is surrounded by Albion fans in his day-to-day life away from the club.

He knew the buzz of the 3-2 win over Manchester United, which kept everyone going for quite a while, had worn off.

He said: “It was massive for us. It’s so important to get results at home, especially with the clean sheet. It’s a good feeling.

“It’s an especially pleasing clean sheet as in the second half we were defending for almost 45 minutes.

“West Ham are a good side. They have quality players, they have spent money in the summer.

“They are a team who are going to be up there.

“The games at home are going to be massive for us.

“I understand fans see the table and we were getting closer to the teams below us.

“It was a massive win and it’s really nice to go into the international break with this feeling.”

Albion’s right-back position has spoken Spanish ever since Inigo Calderon arrived at the club almost nine years ago. 
Calderon, Bruno, Gonzalo Jara Reyes, Mauricio Taricco, David Lopez, Ezequiel Schelotto and Martin Montoya have all appeared on the right side of defence.
In that time, the Hispanic domination has been very occasionally interrupted by Gavin Hoyte, Liam Rosenior, Aaron Hughes, Greg Halford and Connor Goldson.