Drmic ruled out of Euro 2016

Switzerland forward Josip Drmic will miss Euro 2016 after undergoing surgery on a serious knee injury.

The 23-year-old suffered cartilage damage after coming on as a substitute for Hamburg during their 1-0 Bundesliga defeat to Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday.

The striker, who is on loan at Hamburg from Borussia Monchengladbach, will now sit out the rest of the Bundesliga season, and a statement on Switzerland’s official Twitter account also confirmed that the former FC Zurich player will miss this summer’s European Championships.

The statement read: “How bitter! Josip Drmic needs surgery on his knee and misses Euro 2016.”

Drmic however remains upbeat despite his injury set-back and confirmed that he aims to return fitter and stronger from the the knee problem.

He said: “You may think it is difficult for me to be as optimistic as you. But I’ve always been a fighter and will take on this fight and return as soon as possible.”

The former Leverkusen forward was an influential figure as Switzerland qualified for Euro 2016, scoring four goals during the process including a brace in the crucial 3-2 victory over Slovenia, when Vladimir Petkovic’s side battled back from two goals down in the final ten minutes of the match.

Switzerland will face hosts France, Romania and Albania in Group A of the finals, and they are available at 4.75 to top the group, while they are on offer at 1.22 to qualify for the knockout stages.