Lukas Podolski is thrilled to be back in action for Arsenal.

Podolski marked his return with a goal in Arsenal's Boxing Day win over West Ham United.

"I have been out for a long time, four months, so it was not easy," he told arsenal.com. "I have never had a muscle injury before so it was a new experience. It was a hamstring injury and they take a long time [to recover from].

"Every morning you come in, you have treatment, you work hard to get fit while the others are working outside. It is not easy for the head.

"When you sit on the bench or on the couch at home, it is not easy to watch. You don't have the feeling [of truly being] with the team and in the dressing room. But that is the way it is in football, so I am all the more happy to be back."