Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce has revealed that he is hopeful of earning the club a return to the Premier League.

The West Midlands outfit have generally struggled during their first season back in the second tier, but 22 points from their last nine fixtures has left Bruce feeling optimistic ahead of the next campaign.

The 56-year-old told the club's official website: "I am always confident that I can put a team together that can get out of this division. I have done it before and it would be terrific to do it here.

"It's never going to be easy because of who we are. We are the big scalp in this division. Everyone wants to turn us over. All the teams that come to Villa Park want to perform on the big stage and in the big arena. So all the bits and pieces make it difficult.

"I am quietly confident that we will be able to mount a challenge and hopefully we will be good enough."

Despite their recent run, Villa remain in 11th place in the league standings.