Kevin Kraus has signed an extension to his current deal at 1. FC Heidenheim, adding another two years to his contract which now runs until 2018.
The 23-year-old defender has been a mainstay of the side since his permanent arrival from Greuther Fürth in 2014.
Faith in Kraus has paid dividends
After spending his youth career with Eintracht Frankfurt - with whom he made one first-team appearance - he joined the Shamrocks in search of more minutes on the pitch.
Kraus couldn't quite force himself into the side at the Trolli Arena either, sparking a loan move to Heidenheim.
The 2012/13 season saw him link up with the Voith Arena outfit for the first time, scoring five times in 24 games in his breakthrough campaign.
Heidenheim get their man
Even after that Fürth failed to give him the necessary game time to develop and keep him at the club, as he eventually sealed a transfer to Heidenheim.
The loan was only a taster for what has been a match made to happen. He has been a vital part of the defence that has performed so well over recent seasons.
48 games later and both parties couldn't be happier heading into 2016 and the years to come.
Sanwald and Kraus have their say
"We are very pleased that Kevin has decided to extend his expiring contract with us after this season," explained director Holger Sanwald.
He continued, "Kevin is still a young player who, now, is the absolute top performers for us."
Sanwald, speaking to the club website, concluded: "He will continue his extremely positive development for us over the next two and a half years."
Kraus added, "FCH is a passionate club where I feel very comfortable. This is why I look forward to the future with them, to work and achieve our common goals."