SKIPPER Simon Francis insisted he was “raring to go” following his return to action at Arsenal.

The Cherries captain had been sidelined with a hamstring injury picked up at West Brom on the opening day of the Premier League campaign.

But having featured for 45 minutes during the 3-0 defeat to the Gunners on Saturday, Francis claimed he had “come back stronger”.

He told the Daily Echo: “I have been here before with a hamstring situation last season, so I knew I had to get it right.

“You certainly have to manage it and the older you get the more you have to manage it as well, because hamstring injuries are nothing to be messing around with.

“I felt it earlier on in the West Brom game and tried to get through it. That was probably a mistake but with it being the first game of the season, I wanted to try to finish the game.

“I have come back stronger, I feel better for it and, hopefully, I am raring to go again.”