Bruno expected Albion to be in a relegation battle

With no hard feelings from Bruno that the Albion manager has not called upon him more regularly.

The 38-year-old made his first Premier League start at the Amex since November in Tuesday's defeat by relegation rivals Cardiff.

Fellow Spaniard Martin Montoya (below) has generally held sway in the competition for the right-back spot until now.

Bruno is expected to lead Albion again against Wolves at Molineux - for the third time in the last four league games.

It is crunch time in the fight for survival and he is just pleased to be back.

"It's hard of course," he said. "It's really hard when you want to help, want to be involved, want to play.

"That's why I am coming into the training ground every day, working hard.

"It's not my decision. Our obligation as players is to be ready if the team needs us and that's what I've been doing for the last months. It's hard but it's how it is.

"It's his (Hughton's) decision. I cannot do anything. All I can do is show him every day in my training sessions how hard I want to work and the desire to play.

"That's it. After it's not just here, it's everywhere, in every single club. Managers decide. What they are looking for is the best for the team, nothing else.

"I am hoping every single week to play and there is that anger inside to not be playing.

"To be a manager is not an easy job. He tries the best for the team. For me I have to be professional, working hard every day, the captain as well. It's not an easy job but that's my obligation as well."

The thought of leading Albion back to where they were - in the Championship - when he arrived on a free transfer from Valencia for the second season at the Amex is one that Bruno is not prepared to contemplate.

"I don't want to even think about it," he said. "I'm really positive.

"It's my seventh season and what I am going to do is the same thing since I came in 2012, giving everything and be positive, try to help the team, try to help the club.

"It's a long journey, where we were and where we are now. Not just in terms of division, in terms of club, it's completely different and I'm really happy to say that.

"It's in our hands, that's the main message to the players. We need to get some points and we'll be okay. We don't have to wait on other results, it's about ourselves.

"Saturday we've got a massive game, a final. A win would be a massive step to our aim.

"That's what we cannot forget, our aim since the first day of pre-season was to stay up and it's where we are right now."

The last observation from Bruno is a reminder of the outlook in August - trying to find another club apart from Huddersfield and Cardiff that you could feel reasonably confident Albion would finish above.

The narrative has shifted because until Christmas, boosted by victories which could just as easily have been defeats, over-achievement was mistaken for plain sailing.

They began 2019 by throwing away a 2-0 lead at West Ham. Two wins and two draws out of 13 in the calendar year has left them two points above Cardiff with a game in hand.

Bruno was never fooled. "The club is trying to establish itself in the Premier League," he said. "We know how hard it is in the first season but we know how hard it is in the second season and we are there.

"We've been in that fight for 33 games. Nothing has changed from being tenth or 11th. We knew where we were and now it's proof. We've always been in that battle.

"We can see Fulham spending 100 mill in just one window and they went down quickly. Huddersfield, second season, hard. All the teams - Southampton - they have all been going through tough times.

"I know a lot of fans want to see us being as high as possible but I think most of the fans know where we are coming from, who we are, and that's us.

"I am just talking of the last seven years. Before that the club didn't even have a home, a stadium, facilities. You have to be realistic and right now we are in a fight and ready to face it."

And to accept the criticism aimed at the players and, in particular, Hughton.

"It's been like that since I was a young boy watching football," Bruno said.

"Years ago we didn't have social media - just newspapers and radio - but it's been like this always.

"You always find someone that doesn't trust the manager. If you asked every fan there would be maybe 20,000 different formations. That's football and it's normal.

"We are used to it and managers are used to it. It's what we have to deal with. I don't give any importance to it.

"He is calm and focused. He knows what he has to do and that of course helps the players."