Hamstring injury ends Grosskreutz's season

Berlin - VfB Stuttgart expect to be without defender Kevin Grosskreutz for the rest of the season after Germany's World Cup winner tore his hamstring, the Bundesliga club announced Sunday.

The 27-year-old right-back suffered the injury to his right leg late in Saturday's 3-3 draw with Ingolstadt and is expected to be out for eight weeks.

"That's bitter news both for us and Kevin," admitted Stuttgart's coach Jurgen Kramny, whose side faces Bayer Leverkusen and league leaders Bayern Munich in the coming weeks.

Grosskreutz won the last of his six appearances for Germany in 2014 and was part of the squad which won the World Cup in Brazil, but was not expected to part of Joachim Low's plans for Euro 2016 in France this June.

Grosskreutz has vowed to come back stronger after a series of impressive displays in the Bundesliga since joining Stuttgart in January.

"I will come back. I have often had crap to deal with in the past," he wrote on Instagram.

"So often in the past, knockers and critics had their fun at my expense, but I will show these very people that nothing upsets me."

Grosskreutz stayed on the pitch in Ingolstadt and played the full 90 minutes as his injury occurred after Stuttgart had made the last of its three substitutions with 74 minutes gone.

"He couldn't have taken another step," said Kramny.

"Kevin has integrated himself well into the team and put in some good performances with his passion and commitment."

Grosskreutz joined Stuttgart and returned to Germany after a disastrous switch from Borussia Dortmund to Galatasaray last September.

World football's governing body FIFA said the paperwork had not been submitted in time, meaning Grosskreutz could not play in official competition and he left Istanbul without having played a single game for the Turkish giants.

But a series of strong displays for his new club helped Stuttgart climb up from the Bundesliga's relegation spots to mid-table.