Abou Diaby is delighted to be starting the season at Arsenal fully fit.

The French midfielder struggled with injury throughout the 2011/12 campaign, and was restricted to just five first-team appearances for the Gunners.

"It's never easy to deal with these situations," Diaby told the Official Arsenal Matchday Programme. "I love football, love playing the game, and just want to enjoy it.

"When you can't do that it's obviously really difficult, but what makes me stay focused is the passion I have for what I'm doing. Every morning when I wake up I'm really happy to drive in to the training ground, come what may. I always wanted to play football at a high level so no matter what happened, if I was having a bad time I would just look forward constantly.

"At times like that it's really important to have support from your manager, team-mates and the staff. I have to say thanks to all of them, because they've helped me a lot and I really appreciate it."