Toby Alderweireld playing through pain barrier to help Southampton

Southampton defender Toby Alderweireld has revealed that he played against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday afternoon despite nursing a broken bone in his shoulder.

The Atletico Madrid loanee is thought to have sustained the initial injury in the Saints' 2-1 defeat to Stoke City earlier this month, but he opted to battle through the pain barrier to help his side in their hunt for a Europa League berth.

Having gained a 2-2 draw from their meeting against fellow European hopefuls Spurs, Alderweireld is determined to ensure that he completes his season-long stay on the South Coast on a high.

"I have a small bone that is broken so normally I couldn't play but the desire to play was very high," he is quoted as saying by Goal.com.

"I went to a specialist and he said: 'Nothing can happen, it's only pain management and how far you can go.'

"So I did everything. I played with a lot of pain but I did my best to play and to help the team. We didn't lose so the next couple of weeks will decide whether we finish seventh or fifth or something."

Next up for seventh-placed Southampton is a trip to the Stadium of Light to face Sunderland.