Man Utd´s Silvestre ready to erase injury nightmare (SN)

Mikael Silvestre believes winning the Champions League with Manchester United will make up for a nightmate season which has been blighted by injury.

The long-serving France full-back has been limited to just four Premier League and European starts this season due to the cruciate knee ligament injury he suffered back in September.

But Silvestre is hoping to round off the campaign by helping Sir Alex Ferguson's side defeat Chelsea in Wednesday's Champions League final in Moscow.

There were fears that Silvestre would not play again this season after he was stretchered off at Everton in September, but he delighted his manager by making a quicker-than-expected recovery and featured in the quarter-final victory over Roma last month.

“I had a feeling we would go far in the Champions League and do well in the league and that was a great motivation for me to get through a lot of work in my rehabilitation,” said Silvestre.

“I feel great. The season is going to be too short for me, but all the injuries are behind me and I feel really happy to be back.”

Silvestre arrived in Manchester four months after United last won the Champions League in 1999 and has featured in five title triumphs and one FA Cup success during his time in England.

However he believes winning European football's most coveted prize will eclipse all that.

“The Champions League is much more important for me,” added Silvestre. “You have 20 teams who are competing in the domestic league, but in the Champions League only two teams reach it which make it more special.”

Whether or not he features in the final, Silvestre is extremely confident United will end a fine season in style.

“We have had a good run so we expect to be champions in Moscow again,” he said.

“Because of the occasion maybe the game might be tight and maybe close. Most of the time in a final, teams don't want to lose a goal early so they don't take the risks they usually do.

“We just have to do what we normally do and make sure we don't concede a goal. We've got what it takes to score goals. We have proved that.”