VfB Stuttgart will have to adjust to life without Ivory Coast international Serey Dié after the midfielder picked up an injury in the Swabians 2-2 draw with SV Darmstadt 98.
In the early stages of the game, Dié received some treatment after feeling some pain in the adductor area. Despite receiving treatment, he continued to play on for Stuttgart and even managed to last the full 90 minutes.
The decision to play on has back fired now though. His toughness can be applauded, however the midfielder will now miss the rest of the season and possibly most of the pre-season schedule for next season. The club have confirmed that Dié has suffered a tendon tear to his adductor region and will undergo surgery this week.
Bad news
After the game with Darmstadt Dié spoke to media saying he didn't want to be replaced and that if he missed any action he hoped it would only be a couple of weeks. Unfortunately the break from the pitch will be longer than that, much to the disappointment of Stuttgart and Sporting Director Robin Dutt.
"This news is a bitter blow for us, Serey Dié is one of our greatest fighters. Following the injury to Kevin Grosskreutz, this is the next absentee that really hurts us," Dutt told Stuttgart's official website.
Dié has made 23 appearances for Stuttgart this season, contributing with two assists and the one goal against Hertha BSC in February. The Swabians will miss Dié's distribution mainly while he's out of action; the holding midfielder has the joint highest passing accuracy alongside Georg Niedermeier, they both have an accuracy of 84%. Not only is Dié one of the best Stuttgart players at holding possession, but almost 80% of his passes go forward too.
The competitiveness he shows week in week out will be missed and hard to replace, so the club will be hoping the battling midfielder can recover as soon as possible and continue to battle on for them when the new season comes around.