GERARD PIQUE feels Barcelona have set Manchester United a major challenge by moving up to a completely different level compared to the Premier League champions.

Pique left Old Trafford for his hometown club last summer, and the 22-year-old said: ‘‘We have moved on to a different level now.

‘‘Manchester United have been really good for three years. They have won the Premier League and they have been in two European finals.

‘‘But you cannot be at the top all the time, year after year.

“Sometimes other teams beat you.’’ Pique certainly seems to have benefited from his four seasons in England.

Although he never came close to becoming a regular for Ferguson, he muscled his way past Carles Puyol to break into Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering line-up.

Full international honours followed and as the only member of Guardiola’s firstchoice defence, Pique produced the priceless block as Park Ji-sung closed in on the rebound as an early Cristiano Ronaldo free-kick.

‘‘I don’t know what went wrong for them,’’ said Pique.

‘‘Maybe they tried to play their game but it wasn’t possible.

They were quiet and did not cause us any problems.

‘‘Passing the ball is key in big European matches like this. We were able to do that and as a consequence created plenty of chances.’’