Arsenal skipper Cesc Fabregas bemused by ongoing hamstring problem

injury requires careful management...

Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas has insisted that he will only return to action for the Gunners when he feels completely fit.

A hamstring strain saw the Catalan limp out of the action prematurely in last weekend's win over Burnley, and he missed the midweek demolition of Porto as well.

He will not play against Hull City this weekend as he looks to make sure a problem which has troubled him all season is properly healed before taking to the field again.

"I felt something about ten minutes before the goal. I didn’t want to leave the pitch until we scored the goal," he told the Gunners' official website.

"After that I tried to carry on a little bit but I couldn’t really do it. I just went to the side and said it would be better to come off.

"It’s always the same. The one before I missed the Manchester United game [at Old Trafford] for the same thing, the Portsmouth game they put me in strapping and fortunately I kept playing. 

"It’s four or five times in the same area. I don’t know what is going on. I bide my time and I’ll come back when I’m ready."

Fabregas maintains that the injury requires careful management to allow him to put together a decent run of games.

"I always try to take care of it," he added.

"You cannot play 12 games in a row since I came back against Bolton and played 90 minutes straight. If you are not fit you cannot do that. Before that I played 22 games straight.

“I never pull it, it’s never like I strained it or something. It’s just a little bit of fluid that is there and it keeps me out for between five to six days.

“I never ask [to be rested]. I love playing football. I was feeling good and you never know what is going to happen."

Fabregas fell two places in the Castrol Rankings through the month of February, leaving him at No.31 overall. He is now tied with Abou Diaby and Robin Van Persie as the club's second most important player over the past 12 months.