ORIOL Romeu released a message to Saints fans after it was confirmed his season was over due to injury.

After slipping on the Elland Road pitch last week, Romeu was forced off during Saints' 3-0 defeat to Leeds, an injury boss Ralph Hasenhuttl described as "strange".

It later transpired the Spaniard had suffered a fractured ankle, which will require surgery, which is scheduled for today.

Before the setback, Romeu had played a key role for Saints this season, starting 22 of the club's 29 matches this campaign.

In a message released via Saints' official Twitter page, the 29-year-old said: "Luckily it's not a difficult surgery and it should be fixed quite easily.

"Within three months I should be able to play again, so that's a good sign.

"It looks long, but I think and hope it's going to go fast. I'm also determined to do a good recovery to make sure everything is well settled and the bone is well fixed so it doesn't give me any more trouble or issues in the future. So that's my goal right now."

He added: "I will also try to help the team and support them from the outside. I'm going to hate not being there and not playing, which is what I like the most, but these things happen and unfortunately we have to go through them and we need to embrace them as good as we can.

"I want to thank you for all your support. I feel very grateful to be honest for all the love that I've received, not just now but also in my period here. So thank you so much, honestly.

"Hopefully whenever I'm back, we will all be in the stadium and we will all be playing in front of you and celebrating wins and games together.

"I'm sure we're going to finish in a good way. Take care."