Mikael Silvestre has told Arsene Wenger he is now ready to help Arsenal's push for silverware this season.

The French centre-back has been out for nearly three months with a calf problem but came through the Gunners' reserve match against Chelsea unscathed.

And with a Champions League quarter-final against Villarreal and an FA Cup semi-final date with Chelsea at Wembley to come, the 31-year-old said: "It was very good to be back. There have been so many big games and the team is doing well, so you want to enjoy that as much as you can and be involved. I am glad of our progress and hopefully I can join in now.

"It has been the second injury for me. It was the same leg, my left leg, but this time it wasn't the muscle, it was the tendon, so that takes much longer to recover.

"You have to make sure it is completely healed before you can go back in the team. That's why it was so long this time."