Cesc Fabregas insists he will always be an Arsenal man.

The Spaniard got his start at Arsenal in 2003 as a 16-year-old and would go on make more than 300 appearances for the club, before departing for Barcelona in 2011.

He returned to England with Chelsea in 2014 and won the 2016/17 Premier League title, but it is still Arsenal who stand out as his club.

"When I think about you, you are in a red shirt," Thierry Henry told Fabregas in an Instagram chat. "I know people will say you won the league and became a legend at Chelsea, but you are an Arsenal man."

Fabregas replied: "I am and it will be part of me for the rest of my life. I would never have thought I would have mixed feelings between these two teams, but you go there and you meet people, you win titles, become important and win titles. You end up having so much love for the club.

"You are right. You don't forget where you come from and I came from Barcelona academy and I will never forget that, but to make it on the biggest level was at Arsenal and I don't forget that.

"I was so lucky to come in at that moment, to see you, Ashley (Cole), Robert (Pires), Patrick (Vieira), Sol (Campbell).

"The management at the club gave me so much leadership and everything I needed to be a top player. I will never deny that I will always be an Arsenal man in my heart.

"Football has so many turnarounds but I will never forget the connection with the fans and I had so much love at Arsenal and Chelsea. No can ever hear me say anything bad about Arsenal, even when I went to Chelsea and won there, and then won the league."