Alderweireld: My hamstring was about to snap v City

Matt Stead

Toby Alderweireld has sent every Tottenham fan ever into a panicked frenzy by saying him hamstring “was about to snap” against Manchester City.

The Belgian centre-half started the 2-2 draw at the Etihad Stadium, but was substituted in the 65th minute with Tottenham still 2-1 down.

Heung-min Son would score Tottenham’s second 12 minutes later to salvage a crucial point, but the injury suffered by Alderweireld remained a concern for the north Londoners.

With Jan Vertonghen already on the sidelines, Mauricio Pochettino’s side might have feared the worst with his countryman, but Alderweireld stated that he “feels fine now” after visibly struggling on Saturday.

“My hamstring was about to snap, but it feels fine now,” he told Belgian journalist Kristoff Terreur at the weekend. “I didn’t want to risk being out for 6-7 weeks.”

Manager Pochettino also moved to allay fans’ fears.

“He felt tight in his hamstring but I don’t believe it’s a big issue,” he said. “We’ll know better in a few days but it doesn’t look bad.”