Football Focus Sat 16 Aug, 1210 BST BBC One

Ruud van Nistelrooy is confident Manchester United will return for the new season stronger than ever.

Sir Alex Ferguson's men face Bolton Wanderers at Old Trafford on Saturday as they begin the defence of their Premiership crown.

And despite the high-profile departures of David Beckham and Juan Sebastian Veron, Van Nistelrooy is confident that United will again mount serious challenges for both the Premiership and the Champions League.

"Another title and the Champions League are obviously big goals that we have set ourselves," the Dutch striker told BBC One's Football Focus.

"I think with the age of the team and the quality we have here, we can grow.

"I think we learned a lot last season from the Champions League and we learned a lot about the strength of the team by coming back from a bad position in the Premiership.

You have to work hard and become better as an individual and as a team Ruud van Nistelrooy

"I think those two things together will make us grow. It's up to us to show on the pitch how good we are.

"With the qualities we have, if we play well, we can do it again. That's what we have to do."

Van Nistelrooy was the spearhead for United's title triumph last season, ending the campaign as top scorer with 25 goals.

The 27-year-old has now scored a remarkable 80 goals in 101 league games since his �19m move from PSV Eindhoven two years ago - but he insists that there is still room for improvement.

He said: "When the new season starts there will be one thing to achieve - to work as hard as we did before and to improve.

"Our main goal must be to be better football players. That's what I've set myself as a big target for next season. It will be hard but I will do everything I can to achieve that.

"The only thing you have to do is work hard and become better as an individual and as a team."