'We can win' - Lewis Dunk talks Manchester United FA Cup semi final and upcoming transfer window

The Albion travel to Wembley for the second time in four years and the Brighton skipper is hoping they can go better then in 2019, when they lost 1-0 to eventual winners Manchester City.

Dunk, who played in that game, told talkSPORT: “We go into every game thinking we can win. So we are going there to get to the final. “That’s what he’s [Roberto De Zerbi] instilled in us. His passion and what he demands is what we are seeing on the pitch.”

Brighton have been one of the stand-out times this season, reaching not only an FA Cup semi final, but also fighting for European football at the top end of the table against some of the biggest clubs in the country.

This is despite losing their long-serving manager at the beginning of the campaign. Graham Potter’s departure to Chelsea shocked many within the club and football in general.

The 47-year-old left the Amex Stadium in September having led Albion to their highest-ever league finish the season prior and sitting fourth in the table with four win from their first six league games.

However, Potter’s successor has taken the club to new heights. De Zerbi’s Albion are seven points of a Champions League spot and currently preparing for a Wembley semi final, while Potter is out of job less then seven months after being hired by Todd Bohley.

Dunk admitted the transition from the well-loved Potter to the unknown quantity of De Zerbi was difficult, but said he has learned so much since the Italian arrived.

The defender said to talkSPORT: “It was a hard transition. Graham did a great job and got us in a great position and when things are going well you don’t normally change managers, usually its the other way round.

"It took a couple of weeks to get use to his ideas and his training styles, but once we were a couple of days in, you knew how good we could be under him. You couldn't not follow him and what he was saying.

“I’ve learnt so much since he has been at the club. He’s changed my view on football, in the way football can be done and how simple he can make things, but being so complex at the same time.

"He’s put some extra hunger in me to keep improving. I think this year I have improved a lot from the start of the year to know under his coaching, hopefully I've got more to go.”

One of the main reasons why Potter and De Zerbi were successful on the south coast this summer was the incredibly talented group of players they were working with.

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The experience of Dunk, Adam Lallana and Danny Welbeck has blended well with the exciting talent of Moises Caicedo, Karou Mitoma and World Cup-winner Alexis Mac Allister.

The success of the team has lead to many of Brighton’s best players being linked with moves to some of the biggest clubs in world football.

The club rejected bids from Arsenal and Chelsea for Moises Caicedo in January and are expected to face more bids for the Ecuadorian international this summer, along with a number of other players.

Brighton have a history of selling players to big teams for large fees – Ben White, Marc Cucurella and Yves Bissouma – but Dunk is hopeful that the club’s ambition can keep some of his teammates for a while longer.

Dunk said: “Boys have moved on for big money to big clubs and we have people waiting in the squad to step in and do the job. We still have that now even if we do lose players. We have people to step in but hopefully we can keep this squad together, get into Europe and build something very good here.”

The club Dunk will be leading out at the home of football on Sunday is a very different outfit to the one he made his debut for 13 years ago.

A dour 0-0 League One draw in Milton Keys doesn't quite compare to preparing for an FA Cup semi-final, but Dunk’s rise as a player matches that of Brighton.

He has seem them come from the dark days of playing at the Withdean in the third tier of English football to now having their finest-ever moments at the Amex Stadium.

Speaking on the change, the 31-year-old said: “We’re up the other end of the table this year and fighting for a Europe spot and being in a semi-final trying to get to a final and going there confident in our ability as a team that we can do it.

"The club has come a crazy way its just been an incredible journey to be on it and enjoyed every moment of the journey so far.”