Ander Herrera is confident Manchester United will be better in the crucial moments of the coming season than Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal, the club’s expected rivals for the Premier League title.

Last year Louis van Gaal’s team finished in fourth place, 17 points behind the champions, Chelsea. Herrera, the Spaniard whose starting place in midfield is under threat from the arrival of Bastian Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneiderlin, is conscious that United have to dominate the vital parts of games.

With Matteo Darmian and Memphis Depay also arriving this summer, Herrera was asked if he believes United’s squad is better than those at Chelsea, City and Arsenal. He said: “I don’t want to say that, because I want to respect all of the teams, but I believe in Manchester United. When you are the biggest club in England, you are special. In the big moments Manchester United is going to be, I am sure of that.

“Of course, we have to understand last season we were fourth. So we have to know that and work from there to improve, because in some moments last season we could have been higher, but we didn’t do it.”

Herrera is intent on shrugging off the challenge to his place in Van Gaal’s strongest XI. “I believe in myself very, very much. I think I have the qualities to play for Manchester United, but I respect also all my team-mates,” said the 25-year-old. “Everyone wants to play, everyone has the capacity to play. But we want to do a great season, and this is not achieved with 11 players. We need 18, 19 or 20 players, so everyone is going to be part of the squad and we will have a great season.

“We hope to also be involved in the Champions League, so this is another reason why the manager has signed so many players this summer. We want to fight for everything and the manager now wants us to fight for the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and Capital One Cup. So we are going to need many players to help us with that.”

Last season Herrera had to fight his way into the side, his chance coming after the turn of the year. He said: “I always believed in myself when I was not playing much. I knew in advance I was coming to maybe the biggest club in the world, so I knew it wasn’t going to be easy to play, otherwise I would have stayed in Bilbao, where maybe it would have been easier for me to play. But I love the challenge – I love to have the chance to play for Manchester United. Now we have a new season, with the chance to play in the Champions League, so when I am not playing I am calm, because I believe in my qualities. Of course, I respect all of my team-mates, and they want to play also, the same as me, but I believe in myself. I always think like this.

“That’s why I say: ‘This is Manchester United.’ We have the capacity to buy new players, we have the best players in the world, but I think it’s good for me. I’m a young player, I want to keep improving and, of course, it’s always difficult to keep playing here. Now there are even better players than last season, but it’s a good challenge for me. I love football, I love my job and I love to improve, so I don’t see that as a problem. I see it as a new challenge that will make me better.

“After one season I know how big this club is and how well I have to play to keep playing for Manchester United. I am happy with my development last season but I have to keep improving if I want to play for this club.”